Why Asbestos Was Used in Floor Tiles ?
Almost all floor tiles manufactured in the past few decades until the mid 80′s contained asbestos. Previously these tiles were available in the size 9′X9′ and more recently 12′X12′. Manufacturers of floor tiles preferred using asbestos because asbestos not only made the manufacturing process much easier than other conventional materials, but was extremely durable and cost-effective. These tiles were vinyl-asbestos floor tiles manufactured from polyvinyl chloride polymers. These tiles usually consisted of a mixture of limestone, asbestos, plasticizer, stabilizer, binder, and pigment. The mixture was usually heated to temperatures of 300 degrees F and fed into a roller to be pressed to the desired thickness. They were then pressed through cylinders to gain uniform thickness, after which pigmenting and surface designs were done while the tiles were still hot and soft. The tiles were then cooled by immersion in water, water-spraying, or placed in a cooling unit. They were then cut into app
