asbestos worry

[mel1977]

Hi I've suffered from health anxiety in the past and after a couple of years on citalapram and CBT, I've been doing ok....until last night. I was watching a tv program where they mentioned artex can contain asbestos and should be tested before removal. it's on every ceiling in my house and some is damaged. The thing that's got me feeling so bad is that my husband took some off that was under the stairs using a sander. It was everywhere and now I'm so scared for my children. I can't stop googling and am so scared. I can't breathe properly and feel sick. I'm scared to have it tested.

[MyNameIsTerry]

The least dangerous of all the asbestos types was the type used in houses. I would advise you that the best and only places to look for safety information about this are ones like NHS Choices and the HSE sites. There are likely many horror stories out there, like so many things, but like all such cases they focus on the worst case and don't talk about all the people who have not been affected. NHS Choices will explain about how it takes a fair amount of repeated exposure.

I would talk to your GP if you need advice on this one as they will understand if very well and I bet it is a common worry since the media started reporting on it years ago.

[mel1977]

Thank you for replying. I'm staying off Google and have been to the doctors. He wants me to go back on citalapram but I still feel like it's a genuine worry. I'm not worried about myself only my daughter's. Feel like I've failed them by exposing them.

---------- Post added at 18:47 ---------- Previous post was at 14:56 ----------

Cant stop googling. Why is it so addictive? My husbands had enough and wont talk about it. Feel like im living a nightmare

[cassie1975]

Hi Mel, I too have this worry. My husband took Artex off our chimney breast a few years ago. I didn't know about the dangers either and am very concerned by it. I too have a daughter and this worries me sick. I did go and see my G.P who said without a sample she couldn't say.
The one thing that she did say, was that people who became ill worked with the blue/brown asbestos and that it was very dangerous. Artex has white asbestos in it.

My fantastic brother in law found an article about it. If you google " Artex Asbestos risk Telegraph". Charlie brooker wrote a very good article that may put your mind at ease. I wouldn't look at anything else!! I have read this a few times, my body seems to be reacting even though I have read it.

sending you hugs

[MyNameIsTerry]

Cassie, thats good to hear about the blue/brown issue, thats what I had read. It's good to hear it from a doctor and I remember you posting about it a while back so it's good to hear you have discussed with a professional.

Mel, like Cassie, it's because you are a loving parent on top of your HA issues. It's a combination that will allow your anxiety to look for the things that will affect you most. It's the same with intrusive thoughts in OCD, they pick the things that would affect you the strongest e.g. a parent having thoughts of molesting the child they love & would do anything to protect from harm.

[cassie1975]

Apparently there is a big issue surrounding this because they have labelled all asbestos the same. I did look into it a little, I am still very temperamental around this issue and have had a few anxiety attacks. No one wants to go through life thinking they have put their child in danger, it would be a life sentence. The article states that there is no risk to health with Artex because the levels of asbestos found, were minute. I have been reading this article like its my bible, I am not sure thats to good either. My mother in law me that quite a number of years ago either the gas company or electric company told her to buy a sheet of asbestos and saw it. She is 82 and still here. I am trying to remain positive although sometimes this is hard.

[MyNameIsTerry]

That would have been for a "backboard". I worked in that industry for over a decade as a BA and I ran a couple of pieces if analysis on all the engineer calls once and found a very very small number of old asbestos boards coming through as the engineers have to abort the works until they are changed. That was for a big supplier. So, it's a rare find nowadays but they do still find them.

From what I have always heard, it's guys who worked in those environments. It makes sense since NHS Choices point out it needs to be prolonged exposure, in other words not an occasion job like what you had done. And like you said, the blue/brown is far worse and was only used in industrial buildings.

I'm not a parent but I can understand what you mean. I think any parent, regardless of anxiety, would have had many of the thoughts you will have had...thats just being a parent and wanting to keep them safe.

I've seen a few threads like yours and I can remember a guy saying he & friend used to play in the stuff as children before they banned it. It was the white he was talking about. You would have thought if anyone would have had problems, someone like that would, but he hadn't.

[mel1977]

Thank you both for your kind replies. It helps knowing someone knows how I feel. I've decided to get the rest of it tested even though the thought of getting the results terrify me. I'm feeling more anxious because I've realised its also been drilled through a couple of times too. Citalapram aren't helping at all yet. Wake up every hour in a state of panic and still can't eat. They're coming to test it tomorrow.

[Iblametheparents]

Meso takes up to 50 years to develop. It's probably a waste of mental energy to worry about it too much now.

[Cbear83]

Did your worries on this pass? I am going through a similar thing and it is consuming me :(