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I used to live in a 2nd floor unit in an apartment built in 1950. There was a golf sized "sink hole" on the floor and I wonder if I may have been exposed to asbestos.

I remember the floor being a hard surface (not hardwood), it was dark/reddish color, might even be glossy. I don't remember it being tiled either since tiles usually have seams and I don't recall any seams. It was more of an uniform appearance. I really wonder it it's made out of. Could it be just concrete?

I remember inside the sink hole there is a rough concrete-like texture, but it had the same dark color as the surface. I don't think it's gypcrete since those weren't available in 1950.

It's been a long time but I'm a bit concerned now that I think of it. On the bright side, we didn't disturb it much though (aside from occasional wet mopping), plus the fact that the damage is on the floor means gravity is on our side (hopefully). We lived there for a year.

Thanks

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    You are attempting to make something from nothing. Don't. Since you were neither installing or removing the floor, your exposure, if any, to asbestos, if any, would be of no practical concern. – Ecnerwal Jan 10 at 0:23
  • Even if you were exposed, asbestos-related diseases generally take long-term and intense exposure and also takes 20-30 years to develop. The chances of you developing symptoms is remote from what you have described. – jwh20 Jan 10 at 0:30
  • I think I further damaged it by rolling over it with an office chair wheel, and led to some small pieces to fall off. But this only happened a few times. – user173729 Jan 11 at 14:45
  • Yes, I know it wasn’t good, but “non-friable” ACM tends to release less fibers even when you damage it right? as opposed to say, popcorn ceiling. I just hope that even when I crumbled it with my office chair, most asbestos (if any) were still bound up in the flooring material. – user173729 Jan 11 at 14:45
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When asbestos was used in everything from cooking pan trays to attic insulation on ducts I don't remember hearing of it being mixed into concrete walls or floors.

Even if it was used with the concrete the only way to release it and have it become air borne (where it is a hazard through inhalation) would be if the floor was chiseled or ground on. Mopping or other passive forces can't pulverize the concrete to create asbestos particles. It is (if actually added to) forever entombed in the concrete.

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