My asbestos concern

[Paddy1982]

Hi

I live in the UK and a couple of months ago I was carrying out some home renovations. I removed some plaster (without a mask or any other protective clothing) and I'm now concerned having read quite a bit on the Internet that this could have contained asbestos, which never occurred to me at the time. The plaster was removed fairly quickly (less than one hour) and taken straight outside but I'm concerned that even such a brief exposure could be an issue without any precautions at all being taken.

I know the risks are very small and I keep trying to tell myself this but I just cannot seem to shake this fear off. As well as the initial exposure I'm scared that my family could still be exposed to fibers that remain in the house even now if it was asbestos? I understand that if it is asbestos it's probably chrysotile but if the fibers are still in the room now would this make the risk of exposure much higher?

If anyone has any information or advice that would put my mind at rest it would be appreciated as this has got me very worried

Thanks

[daisyflower]

I don't know a lot about that, but I do know that so many people have removed plaster and don't have asbestosis. You don't even know if it had asbestos in it in the first place so worrying about it is completely pointless. We've all probably sat/worked/lived/studied in a place with asbestos. We can't turn back time so just have to do our best to block it out and forget about it. The chances are very very slim and your family will be fine. The people who weren't fine were exposed to asbestos in their jobs regularly and perhaps their wives who washed their overalls day in and day out for many years? One time exposure? You will be fine x

[Nighttime pacer]

Hi Paddy,
I did a lot of researching after having my bathroom done up and discovering that the old lino tiles that were ripped and scraped up may have had asbestos in them. I have mild asthma so had a long chat to my asthma doctor about it. He said I may have subjected myself to slightly higher than background levels of asbestos for a short period of time and that nothing can be done about it and more importantly it's really unlikely to cause any problems.
From what I read it wasn't commonly used in plaster. It was in artex and lagging and some manufactured concrete products.
My specialist said that people he's diagnosed with asbestosis have all been people who work all their lives in the building industry and usually from long ago when people didn't know the risks. Although a small amount of exposure can cause problems he said it's a little like smoking in that 1 cigarette is unlikely to kill you but packs and packs a day for years might.
He also said that there are background levels of asbestos in the london underground and in the air as there is always a lot of building work going on especially in London and it was such a common product.
I hope that helps.
I've managed at last not to worry about it, good luck calming down. I'm sure you will in time.
Best wishes
Nighttime pacer