View Full Version : Asbestos fear
I've just found out the house about four houses down removed two asbestos sheds from there garden. It was there landlord that did the work and he just threw it on the back off his van. My son goes out to play and our windows could have been open while this was going on because I'm not sure what day it was done and now I'm freaking out that the fibres have come into our house or my son was out playing and breathed it in.
He's now renovating the house and re plastering which could contain more asbestos and he's throwing that all out onto the back garden which is really close to my house.
I really worried can anyone help ?
With respect, you're creating a fantasy. It's a kin to fearing carbon monoxide poisoning because you smelled exhaust fumes while stuck in a traffic jam.
I'd be more concerned about the landlord tbh.
Positive thoughts
I am concerned about him doing that and where's he's dumping the asbestos
blackbroom
12-09-17, 16:44
I can understand your fears, but generally, asbestosis affects those who are in regular contact with asbestos (e.g. builders who regularly worked with asbestos over a period of several years and the wives that washed their asbestos-contaminated overalls), not people who've had a one-off exposure.
Also there are different types of asbestos and the kind of asbestos that was sealed in concrete sheets and used to build sheds and fences is the least dangerous.
Plus it was outside, which is much less dangerous than inhaling it indoors in a confined space.
If it's really worrying you, why not talk to the environmental health people at your local council? They may be able to reassure you and perhaps talk to the landlord if they think there is any risk whatsoever.
I was exposed to asbestos about 20 years ago and, so, have kept that fear tucked into my back pocket just in case I have occasion to worry about it. Turns out, I HAVE been worrying about it since I have developed chronic respiratory issues over the past year as a neversmoker and JUST had to get a chest xray today due to reduced function in one lung--- but xray is normal and, more importanly, pleural effusions are normal (that is where mesothelioma shows up).
I have researched my butt off about this at one time or another...and....only a small portion of those exposed to asbestos develop mesothelioma (less than 10%) AND smoking ups your risk incredibly (thankfully I have never smoked and neither has your child!!!)
THe other thing is, it is when asbestos is ground into dust that it is most dangerous and easily inhaled and difficult to pass from the lung. A lot of occupational work with asbestos does involve pulverizing, so that's why its a particular occupational risk. Breaking it up, while not wonderful, is a less risky way of handling it in terms of mesothelioma-- although obviously not risk free.
I would keep my child away from the area for awhile but try to not think about asbestos fibers coming through the window. I am sure we all breathe some asbestos every day because it is a part of the environment at this point. You just happen to know that some probably became airborne nearby your house. The rest of us simply don't have that information, but that doesn't mean our air is entirely free of it. If it was dangerous circulating in the air, many more people would have mesothelioma than actually do!!!
I am at peace about my asbestos exposure (due to weekend warrioring) and have decided that all I can do about it now is go the doctor if I have out of the ordinary respiratory symptoms, i.e. that last longer than 3 weeks to a month is where I draw my line now.
One of our outhouses had a concrete/asbestos roof. We had it taken off and disposed of it ourselves. We wrapped it in heavy grade polythene and taped it up then took it to the council tip and placed it in a separate closed skip. So yes, they do take extra special care of it but I think having your window open while a lorry was loaded is a bit of a long shot and I maybe wrong but I think it takes years of exposure to cause problems. A one off incident I wouldn't be worrying about personally.
Sampowell542
12-09-17, 21:33
I've been working in a restaurant for the last 3 years that was once a hotel and upstairs in the old kitchen is our staff area. There's a couple of areas upstairs that have asbestos. We've had health and safety in saying as long as it's not moved or touched there is no issues. The chances of anything happening is slim to none so I doubt yourself will be in any danger.
When I moved into a house 6 years ago someone had taken down a shed and left the asbestos roof in the garden under a pile of rubble. That's where my fears started.now I feel like this could be the second time we have been exposed to it making mine and the kids risk higher.
I was doing so well with my asbestos fear until yesterday when I had decoraators turned up to paint my living room. They have used there dust dusts to cover my floors even though I put my own down too. Now my concern is that the dust sheets are full of asbestos fibres from previous jobs and now it’s all over my floors and in the air. Am I being completely mad ? I could ask the decorator if he has worked with asbestos but I’m scared he will say yes and that will make me worse. Once again I’m going crazy with worry
There won't be asbestos on the dust sheets, everyone is very clued in these days on asbestos. The decorators themselves would not want to be exposed to dangerous fibres let alone expose you to it. I don't think your mad, my mind would do the same thing but looking from the outside in I don't see any risk. Hope they do a good job for you:winks: xxx
Thank you for the reply. I worry that I’m the only one that feels this way so many other people don’t seem to care so I guess my concern is that the decorator doesn’t know or care and therefor won’t even worry about the dust sheets on my floors
Thank you for the reply. I worry that I’m the only one that feels this way so many other people don’t seem to care so I guess my concern is that the decorator doesn’t know or care and therefor won’t even worry about the dust sheets on my floors
One read through similar posts here would reassure you. I am curious though. Reading your train of thought above from a realistic and logical standpoint, do you not see the irrationality of it?
Positive thoughts
Unfortunately not no. ☹️
Wow... With respect, from a realistic standpoint, the dots are so far apart, they could never connect. Are you doing anything in real life about treating your anxiety? I ask because truly, that train of thought is just not rational or realistic and it's causing you a lot of mental angst :(
Positive thoughts
Hi no I’m not, all I do is look for answers on here and try not to google. Once the decorator has left this afternoon I will have a mad clean up assume that I’m breathing in asbestos and won’t be able to enjoy my newly painted living room
As far as the answers, sadly, your anxiety will not allow you to believe them. All the reassurance in the world will melt away shortly after you get it. Your responses show that clearly. I would advise you show your doctor this thread and see if he can refer you for help.
Positive thoughts
Thank you for the reply. I worry that I’m the only one that feels this way so many other people don’t seem to care so I guess my concern is that the decorator doesn’t know or care and therefor won’t even worry about the dust sheets on my floors
Trust me the decorator will know, honestly he would not take the risk. I don't know if it reassures you or not but my dad was in the building trade from the age of 15 ( 1965ish?!) Despite being in many environments & around asbestos for years without the strict precautions these days, he had some in his lungs but was minimal & had no impact on his life, he did have mild traces of it but the doctors were not worried.
You could ask the decorator in a round about way, if you know what I mean, but he may give you a vague answer that makes you wonder more.....:unsure:xx
Would anyone else even think like this or worry about this ? Do hundreds of people have decorators in there every day with there dirty dust sheets and just get on with it ??
ServerError
16-11-17, 17:53
You know the answers to both those questions. You know other anxiety sufferers have irrational thoughts. You know most people don't stress about asbestos.
As has already been said, you need to get some help.
Yes, other people do worry about these things (I do) and not all of us trust other people, after all, the general population has not exactly shown itself to be that intelligent en masse, has it?
The thing you need to know is that there could not possibly have been enough asbestos fibres on those dustsheets to cause you any risk greater than the risk to your health caused by worrying about it.
Tests at the HSE labs have shown that the maximum contamination a textile material can hold is enough to yield about 1,000,000 fibres/cm2 when vacuumed (these were clothes literally shaken up in a bag of asbestos fibres). On agitation, this releases about 7f/ml in a very small rotating drum, which equates to about 0.7f/ml in a room.
Having removed their dustsheets, you could only now be left with the 0.7f/ml.This will half in concentration about every hour (more with the windows open) so will very quickly become virtually indistinguishable from background. The rest will fall to the floor. Experiments consistently show that only about 1/00000th of the fibres settled on the floor actually get released on disturbance, so your 0.7f/ml equates to about 1400fibres per cm2 on the floor meaning 0.014f/ml released when disturbed. This is about the safe clearance level set for allowing re-occupation of contaminated houses.
Since no domestic properties have ever been recorded with this level of contamination in over 2,000 tests that have been recorded by the HSE (and others), we can only presume that even such relatively safe levels are eventually reduced by normal cleaning.
To be reasonable, all of this already very low risk, has to be multiplied by the very low probability that the dustsheets had any asbestos on them in the first place, let alone were contaminated to the maximum level possible, to make a logical risk assessment. You can see now that you end up with a very low risk indeed. The point is, even if they were, you'd still be fine.
Now consider the risk to your health from reacting this way every time something happens that carries this low a risk of harming you. Hundreds of such risks are happening around you all the time. I won't go into the evidence for the harm that anxiety can cause, but suffice to say it is without doubt the much greater risk, so the only logical conclusion is that you must ignore this risk (consider yourself tough enough to deal with it) as the benefits of doing so in the long term clearly outweigh any tiny risks you might be taking.
I’ve just returned home from a old hotel,
There was what looked like a artex ceiling in the bedroom where me and my children slept for two nights.
Now I’m washing all our clothes worried asbestos dust from the ceiling has fallen onto all our clothes
What I’m not washing I’m throwing away as I don’t what to bring contaminated things back into my house
Feel like I’m going mad again
ankietyjoe
12-08-18, 19:58
Asbestos is only dangerous as a dust, if inhaled over a prolonged period of time.
You would have to bang the ceiling with a hammer while living in the room for weeks or months to even come close to there being dangerous levels of exposure.
That is IF the artex contains asbestos.....which is unlikely these days.
Left untouched, there is zero risk of artex that contains asbestos being an issue, at all. No chance whatsoever.
I get that even with the fact that there's no chance, you're still going to have a gnawing fear. It's like someone who's afraid of spiders will freak out about a pimple sized spider from across the room (my wife for example :wacko:) and still be freaking out after the spider is dead and the carcass is squished in a tissue and thrown away.
But just like the actual threat from a dead pimple sized spider, the threat of asbestos exposure, even IF it were asbestos (highly doubtful in the 1st place), especially in that situation is in reality, without a doubt, no "what ifs" or "yeah buts", non-existent.
Positive thoughts
Health & Safety rules wouldn't allow exposed asbestos in a hotel. Old or new.
Are they checked regularly? The hotel in question is the same chain that a few years ago was sued for carrying out building work without checking for asbestos first and exposing its guest to asbestos.
It was in a different part of the country but same chain of hotels
ankietyjoe
12-08-18, 21:49
Checked for what?
There is zero risk to your health even if the artex does contain asbestos.
Checked that the ceilings are in good order and not damaged so that the dust isn’t leaking everywhere I guess
ankietyjoe
12-08-18, 22:17
Who knows? :shrug:
Like I said, even if you sat there inhaling asbestos dust all day there's virtually no chance of long term issues. Asbestos is like smoking, it takes time for it to have an effect.
Stop worrying about it and don't stay there again.
So on Sunday I posted about my fear of being exposed to asbestos in a old hotel I stayed in and then yesterday we went out for dinner and we were sat near the kitchen and next thing I hear drilling coming from the kitchen
We ate and left but then when I got home I started worrying about drilling asbestos near our food. So I phoned the restaurant and asked what building work was going on and they said they were having a new boiler fitted
And it was next to the kitchen not in it
What if it was a old boiler thy were replacing and it had asbestos in what they were drilling.
I feel like our life’s are now doomed from all the recent exposure we have had
How did all this business with asbestos begin? Think of all the other diners - asbestos would be the last thing to cross their minds. Are they "doomed" as well?
Asbestos isn't the problem here: Your anxiety will move on to another object of fear unless you start treating the root cause.
What if.....
It's amazing what the mind can do. I'll just say that the best reassurance you can get is "reality" and your mind is not focused on that at the moment. The thoughts are totally fantasy based.
Positive thoughts
nomorepanic
14-08-18, 13:07
Hi
This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.
Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.
It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.
Just want to throw in my 2 cents as a construction engineer who comes across asbestos regularly.
I always have the structures tested for asbestos before a renovation if there’s any chance that the substance might be present (this usually means that the building is old and/or hasn’t been remodeled after 1994). Not all materials have to be tested because both myself and the experts I use can tell that there’s no asbestos in it without testing it separately (there’s a list with asbestos products used during a certain decade that we can consult if needed).
Even if no asbestos is found, the work site still needs to be properly contained from where people live/work, because construction dust isn’t something we want to spread out either. And if the contractor fails to isolate the site, leading to the dust spreading all over, then they’re the ones in charge of all the cleaning costs. That means that they should be quite motivated to keep places clean, asbestos or not.
If asbestos is found, we follow the law, which demands that we use a licensed contractor to remove the harmful substance. That removal always requires separate planning and organizing, and the contractor has to submit that plan to the local work health and safety authority. After submitting the paperwork, and the authority has checked that the company has clearance for removal of harmful substances, they’re given permission to go ahead with the work. The work site has to be separated, and it has to be depressurized compared to the surrounding areas to keep the dust from getting out. Also, there has to be a 3-part border tunnel into the work area, where the workers dress and undress and clean themselves. And there are barriers inside the tunnel, too. After the work is done, you’re required to make sure that the air inside the compartment no longer has large quantities of asbestos fibers. This is done by taking an air sample, and the contractor isn’t allowed to take down the barriers unless the result comes back negative.
Of course I can’t speak for the hotel or restaurant owner, but based on my experience, I’d say that you’re far more likely to be exposed to asbestos because a random homeowner decided to renovate their bathroom or kitchen and bypass all asbestos checks than in any setting requiring maintenance attention conducted by professionals.
Feel free to ask me additional questions. I’m not a health professional, but I do know more about asbestos than I’d necessarily want or need to.
I'm sorry you're going through this. I went through an asbestos/general contamination fear at the height of my anxiety. It's a hard one because it does make you feel like you're going crazy because it's like you can see the contamination everywhere and can't do anything about it. When we bought our new house 2 years ago we had every room painted before moving in, including the kitchen cabinets. Our painters also patched a section of wall that had been misshapen, probably from being repaired previously.
After they finished all of it we came back to the house and every single inch of it was covered in a fine white dust. It was either from sanding down the wall/cabinets, from spray painting the cabinets, or from the drywall dust they used to patch the hole. They were not careful with containing it, obviously, and it must have been drawn into the air vents and spread everywhere. When I say everywhere, I mean it. The sink tops in our bedroom bathroom, which were up the stairs and around two corners from the kitchen had the coating of white film.
I also have bad allergies to dust and other indoor allergens and whatever was all over the house was sending my allergies out of control. I'd get back to our apartment after spending time in there and be coughing for hours. I'd wake up feeling like I used to feel after a night of drinking and smoking cigarettes in college. All of this sent my anxiety through the roof! I felt like there was no way to ever get the house clean since it was EVERYWHERE.
To make matters worse, we hired an expensive cleaning company that specialized in construction clean up and they completely screwed us. They asked for 2 weeks to get the job done since they were pretty booked and promised so much. When two weeks were over they'd done virtually nothing. I had to call management and demand a refund of our deposit since they'd basically done nothing but attempt to get some scratches out of our countertops and vacuum the bedrooms. Our washer and dryer were still pulled out from the wall and mounds of dust sitting behind them, and every surface was still covered in the white powdery dust.
With like 3 days to go before we had to move in I found another cleaning crew to come. They did a much better job. I replaced all the blinds because nothing could get all the dust off of them. And, finally, we moved in and I eventually forgot about it.
I had another bout of this fear a year later when we had a leak from our bathroom into our dining room ceiling. I went into a panic about mold developing and all the other contaminants that would get into the house when they cut open the ceiling and repaired it. I had to leave the house and stay with my parents for the week they were fixing it so I wouldn't obsess about things like how much debris was on floor, where the workers were walking, etc...
Then, a few months ago we had another massive leak in our basement (home ownership is for the birds!!). This time my anxiety level was much lower and it hardly bothered me that they had to tear up the carpet, run fans for days, cut open and replace all the dry wall along the perimeter of the room, and repaint. It just goes to show that the panic is anxiety related more than logic based.
This is rambling... but it's all to say that I get where you're coming from, but it is your anxiety getting the best of you. It's so easy to obsess about unseen dangers, but there's nothing lurking there to hurt you. You'll be ok!
Can I ask you guys that aren’t worried about asbestos, would you be worried about them changing a boiler in a kitchen while you and your family were eating? Knowing that old boilers can contain asbestos.
Also I’m washing our clothes obsessively incase the asbestos fibres are on them is this realistic?
Can I ask you guys that aren’t worried about asbestos, would you be worried about them changing a boiler in a kitchen while you and your family were eating? Knowing that old boilers can contain asbestos.
Also I’m washing our clothes obsessively incase the asbestos fibres are on them is this realistic?
I'll just reiterate the answer I posted earlier for what it's worth... No, this is not realistic at all :shrug:
Positive thoughts
Ok so I’ve been here a few times panicking about asbestos but here I am again
We are due to take my son to Madrid in January to see his favourite football team Real Madrid play. It’s his birthday surprise but I’ve found out they are currently removing asbestos in the train stations there, it’s a big job which I’m guessing will still be going on in January.
The hotel we are booked into is a old building although looks modern inside.
Now I don’t want to go I’m so worried about asbestos being all over the place there.
I know we won’t go on the trains but now I’m thinking it’s just going to be all over the city and in the hotel.
I can’t sleep i already know I’m going to throw all our clothes and shoes away when we get back.
I want to cancel the whole thing but he will be devastated.
My husband has said he will take our son on his own but then I’d feel like I’m exposing him to asbestos while I hide at home.
Asbestos fear comes up a lot on here but think of it this way. So much was made using asbestos in the 20th Century, before it was known to be harmful.
How many people do you know who have actually died of asbestosis, even though a huge percentage of 20th Century housing was made using it? I would bet anything the answer is none, unless you knew people who worked in industry and were inhaling it on a regular basis as part of their job.
And with the amount of health and safety legislation in this country, do you really think the station would be open at all if it was even possible to contract any form of illness from walking through it?
This is a hugely irrational fear, and is an arbitrary thing your anxiety's latched on to. Are you getting any treatment for this? Changing your plans because routine work is going on in a railway station is a sign things are out of hand.
Hi
This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.
Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.
It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.
Elen
Is this the same in Spain or are they not as worried about health and safgoas they are here in this country?
Is this the same in Spain or are they not as worried about health and safgoas they are here in this country?
I somehow missed that you were going to Spain by skimming that bit! Well if you believe the press we get our health and safety legislation from the EU, which Spain is part of...
Your brain has lodged the fact "asbestos is harmful" and created a phobia. Throwing facts at you about the actual levels of asbestos that are harmful will do nothing here. Reminding you that no-one you've ever known has ever had a problem with asbestosis even thought it was a very common building material won't help. Reminding you contractors in a public building in a developed country wouldn't be throwing material around if it was harmful to customers to do so won't help. Reminding you thousands of people will be passing through that building, and buildings undertaking the same work across the world, without a single one having problems won't help.
Your fear of asbestos is arbitrary. It may as well be carbon monoxide, or flouride, or snakes, or spiders, or clowns. It's impacting your life, and the life of your family, and you need to get help.
My flat contains asbestos as do the garages outside. The only items the housing association removed were the fibre boards and the heating, everything else has remained, if they were that worried about people living in the buildings then they would of ripped out everything or else risk massive lawsuits. The house I grew up in had low grade asbestos and the last building I worked it has it. There is no way in hell they would be removing it from a train station when people are around or letting people stay in the hotel if it was a risk.
Please don't let your fear win and ruin what sounds like a lovely surprise for your son. It sounds like it would be a memory he will really cherish.
blueingreen
28-10-18, 06:15
Somehow this is an anxiety that I do NOT have. :) I have an old house. My partner and I have been restoring it for the last 3 years. Asbestos is/was everywhere. We had asbestos tiles professionally removed from the basement, but otherwise have left things intact (sealed in the non-working fireplaces, asbestos siding sealed under vinyl siding, etc.) or he safely removed them himself. There may be more that we don't know about, just like you may have been in plenty of places with it safely contained that you don't know about. There's no way to avoid it 100%, because it was used for years as a "miracle insulation." However, you will only get sick from it IF it is being crushed and IF you breathe it in and IF it makes it to your lungs and IF you do this a lot over many years. I am certain that all steps will be taken for safety in a public, government-owned place like a train station. If they are removing it instead of leaving it intact, then their goal is to eliminate any potential public health hazard, not create one. Please take your trip and enjoy it! :)
Hi this is a usual topic for me, I’m now on Prozac and was doing ok but then we just stayed on a caravan site and they were knocking down a old farm building close to us. We spent 5 days there and they were working on the building the whole time. Now I’m home I’m worried all our clothes and shoes are covered in asbestos dust and I’ve brought it into our home. I’m washing the clothes twice but the shoes we need to wear out tonight. So stressed
nomorepanic
03-05-19, 18:04
Hi
This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.
Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.
It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.
Hi I was wondering if you could help me again. We have just came back from a camping holiday where a old farm house was being smash apart quite close now im afraid it didn't have the right safety checks and I've been exposed to asbestos fibres again. It was just two men doing the work and didn't look like prober contractors.
Thank you
nomorepanic
04-05-19, 13:25
Re-read the replies we gave you about the chances of this.
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