Is there asbestos in these walls?

[MickyB]

Have been living for 4 years in an apartment built in 1960. Got tired of the ugly tiles on the kitchen walls, so I tore them down, totaling a little more than 1 square meter. Realized afterwards that I might check if there is asbestos? It got a bit dusty, and the tiles are gone. I'm a beginner when it comes to materials and can't tell the difference between what is what.

I have no idea when the tiles were put up because they were there when I moved in. Even then, the kitchen was quite nice and modern. I have uploaded 3 close-up photos where one of the tiles was.

Thanks.

 

[Stefan N]

Can be found in fix and fog but completely impossible to determine from a picture.

 

[Krabbeluring]

Count on asbestos and clean accordingly.

 

[afSumpan]

Impossible to know without analysis.
Based on experience, it was common in the years when asbestos was present to set tiles with a dab of fix per tile. So the remains of the fix you have in the picture match how it usually looks when the fix contains asbestos. But that's not something to rely on.

Another indication is if the edge tiles have rounded colored edges, i.e., not like today when you have to put a cover strip over them.

In any case, the damage is done. Scrape off what remains with a vacuum cleaner directly on the material (do not use a household vacuum cleaner) and clean all surfaces. You have not ingested harmful amounts of asbestos now or when you are done.

 

[Hep]

If you have any pictures of how it looked before you tore it down, or from when you bought it, it might be possible to see if it is original or later.