Chemical worry!!

[Misslouread]

Hello all, yes I am still worrying about chemicals, I was walking through holborn in London today and there was loads of debris and dust in the air, some went in my eye and you could see it in the air, there was some building going on, refurbishing a shop or something and I'm terrified there was asbestos in the dust, is this irrational or should I be worried?

Please help xxxxx

[nomorepanic]

There wouldn't have been asbestos in the air as they have specialist teams and equipment to remove it (even if there was any).

[Misslouread]

But it was outside, so no one would have been able to remove it, I'm terrified I've breathed a whole lot of it in x

[nomorepanic]

I mean when they were doing the refurb they would have dealt with it

[Misslouread]

So you think they would have used asbestos?? X

[southey]

You need to relax, the builders would not be making clouds of Asbestos dust. Any sign of it nowadays and work stops while it is removed.

I have been in the building game 20 years and I have a fear of stuff breathed in over the years but from your description would not worry as it's inconceivable it would be asbestos, more likely gypsum, brick dust and the like.

Steve.

[nomorepanic]

No I am saying there won't have been asbestos in the air

[Misslouread]

It looked like tiny tiny wood clippings all in the air from holborn station all the way down the road, it was really bizarre! So you definitely don't think asbestos could have been present? I keep thinking I have breathed loads in, I can feel it in my throat and everything. Thank you for your help xx

[southey]

Probably from a carpenter power sawing some wood or boards, nothing to worry about.

If the work was in the station then there is no chance it is anything nasty as the health and safety we have to work to in those public places would simply not allow anything dangerous.

Steve.

[Misslouread]

Well it was more or less all the way down the road, so I don't really know where it was from, they weren't doing any work in the station though, and the building site I saw was all when they build out a sort of white wall covering the shop with doors in for the builders, a temporary white building coming slightly out onto the pavement. would anything be able to to get out of there, there were people drinking outside at the pub next door!? Thank you again x

[southey]

Yep it is 100% NOT Asbestos. Probably dust from something being power sawed.

The health and safety that goes on on site these days is strict and would not allow any harmful dust to escape in such a public area especially in London. If any did there would be hell to pay and companies would be shut down and heavily fined.

Steve.

[xfilme]

Ive been there with the chemical worries. With this generations obsession with Health & Safety, I can assure you, its irrational. People would be dying in the streets left right and centre if our environment was a danger to us.

[Misslouread]

Thank you for your help, just out of interest, is breathing in asbestos once harmful anyway or do you have to be around it a lot, I am pretty sure once is enough, that's why I have been panicking x

[southey]

Depends on the type. The blue and brown stuff is the most dangerous and has been banned for years. Mostly found around pipes as lagging in boiler rooms.
The white is less dangerous and has been banned from about the late 80's to early 90's.

Asbestos is everywhere i'm afraid from older artex on your ceilings to roofs to old floor tiles to fire proofing to water pipes even and some tanks in loftss. I see it dumped regularly down lanes!! It's pretty harmless unless unless you cut into it.

Yes all it can take is one fibre but the more exposure and for a longer time period obviously ups the odds. One report I read that smoking after being exposed increased the chance of developing problems up to 70 times.

Some people just don't develop problems others do, same as smoking. Usual timescales are from 20 to 40 years after exposure.

Do you remember the pictures after 9/11 of the twin towers. People covered in white dust. That dust contained Asbestos from the steel fireproofing. Thousands and thousands of people had a major exposure then.

Please do not look up this subject on google. I did and it really set me back with my worries. You really have nothing to worry about from what you have written.

Steve:)

[Misslouread]

Thank you Steve, I had no white dust on me, my boyfriend also said if I had got asbestos dust in my eyes they would have swollen up, is that true? He said I would have been very itchy too! Sorry that is my last question. Thank you so much for your help x

[southey]

I can't give a definite reply to whether getting it into your eyes would make them swell or itchy but I would suspect so.

Once again please don't google this subject or any imagined symptoms. You have NOT been exposed, zero chance, zip, nada and no way Jose!

Don't let this turn into an obsession, nip it in the bud and forget about it.

Steve:)

[Misslouread]

Ok thank you Steve, it's just the unknown that scares me and the fear of having something in your body that cold potentially harm you. Thank you though so much for your help! Thank yo thank you thank you x

[southey]

Fear of Asbestos is part of my health worry. It has been other things in the past but at the moment it's mainly Asbestos related.

Unlike you I have been exposed guarenteed from unknown stuff hidden away in buildings. Also to MDF dust and other yucky stuff. I have tried to wear masks when possible but it's not possible 100% of the time. The body is designed to make it hard for foreign objects to actually reaching the lungs. First you have the hairs in your nose that trap stuff and then there is the sharp angle at the back of your throat that makes stuff hit the walls and get coughed up. Then there is the ever upwards moving lining of the airways that removes stuff. So it's good to know you have good defences of anything breathed so it's not certain anything will get all the way down.

I have known people to get sick from this but it has always taken a very long time to develop and they had large exposures. Others have been definitely exposed and are still going strong in their 60's and 70's!!

What can I do about it? Not a lot apart from avoid future exposure, not smoke and look after my health. I try to take each day as it comes and not think about the future. Not easy sometimes when my fears rise up. I try to think there are always people worse off than me and I'm thankful I am healthy today.

Anyway at the rate that medical science is progressing could worries like ours and most of the people on this site be a thing of the past? I think so!

Steve

[nomorepanic]

Ok thank you Steve, it's just the unknown that scares me and the fear of having something in your body that cold potentially harm you. Thank you though so much for your help! Thank yo thank you thank you x

Are you exposed to cigarette smoke cos that is potentally more harmful- you have to take these things in context

[Jules147]

Health and safety on building sites is very much a case of belt and braces these days. I know a lot of giys who work on stripping asbestos. The area has to be completely sealed and they wear suits and masks that are disposed of before they leave the sealed area.

[waunder]

In Canada it would be illegal to deliberately let asbestos loose in the air. Besides they would be hurting themselves and their families if they dragged that stuff around on their clothes try gargling and drinking lots of water maybe with a little lemon in it. Good luck.