Petroleum solvent on basement slab

1937 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by SW Dweller, Dec 22, 2021

cerfsud

Discussion Starter · Dec 10, 2012 (Edited)

Hello,

I had some asbestos abatement contractors in to remove some tile and mastic and they used a naphtha-like solvent (MSDS) on the slab to remove the mastic. This was on Dec 5, and it still smells like solvent throughout the entire house (with a negative air machine still running and big fans blowing on the slab when we're not in the house).

Any ideas how long this might take to stop offgassing? The contractors say they've never seen this before, and the manufacturer of the solvent says it should have all flashed off by now. They also did get some in the drywall (it wicked up along the perimeter).

It's driving us crazy because it's noxious, possibly toxic, and we can't even use our stove (produces lighter fluid-like smells from burning the solvent fumes).

Thanks in advance!

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joecaption

· #2 · Dec 10, 2012 (Edited)

Blows me away they claim they have never seen this before.
If they have not seen it before then they have never used it before.
The mastic could have been scraped with a soy mastic remover for a safe, odor free, nonflamable solution.
Drywalls going to soak that stuff up like a sponge and now paint may or may not stick now.

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cerfsud

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 10, 2012

I'm blown away as well. They're either playing stupid or their other customers are amazingly tolerant of fumes. My wife and I are big fans of no-perfumed and all-natural products. I would've been a big fan of a soy-bean based mastic remover.

Even after we can't detect these fumes anymore with our nose (and I hope that happens very soon), I know they'll be lingering for awhile and who knows what the long-term health affects will be.

Sorry for venting.

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aabow

· #4 · Dec 22, 2021

Hi! We are having the same problem right now and I was wondering if you ever got it fixed.

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stick\shift

· #5 · Dec 22, 2021

Best to stick to your own thread, aabow, original poster has not logged on in years.

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SW Dweller

· #6 · Dec 22, 2021

You do not state where you are, maybe some additional heat when the fans are running.

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