Asbestos contamination

[anxious.adam]

I am in a mess.

I have not eaten, hardly slept and tearing my hair out!

Our old house is covered in Artex paint in ceilings (certainly from a period where this paint contained Asbestos). My saga started after a small leak in roof created a few small crumbly patches of this over my bed some time ago. I polyfilled it up ignorant to the risks involved.

I recently discovered about the asbestos content and now I am going insane! I bashed my loose light fitting by accident as it was swinging I could see dust coming down from around it (a hole in Artex of course for light cable to come through). Seeing this I took pillows and duvet downstairs in panic, as I did they brushed against another loose crumbly bit of Artex in damaged corner of ceiling on stairway.

Not knowing what to do in panic I thought tumble dryer would expel any dust so I bunged them in there.

I have emptied my room, ordered a new mattress and bedding, carpet cleaning, everything nothing is helping the more I do the more hopeless I feel I can’t sleep in there my clothes feel contaminated from using the washer and dryer that has been washing and drying other things in the room.

My mother I live with has been polyfilling and sealing any open areas but too late for those bits. I am worried about her exposure now too! I feel like even if the asbestos was just contained safely in dust then the washing cycles has just pulverised it in to lingering fibres.

There is also a hole in wall caused by clothes hook on back of door bashing in to it! I could almost live with small risk of the white Artex asbestos but this could have been blue/brown boarding or wall it is a hollow wall much more dangetrous asbestos contaminating clothes hoodie hoods right by my face and air with every door open for years I have not worried so definitely not a short term exposure! The house is over a hundred years old I think with extensions and renovations in that time.

I am on buspirone long term and now diazepam with this but it is not making me forget!

I am lost. I don’t know what to do! Please someone help me find a way I can get my clothes clean and head on a clean pillow. Feet constantly feel contaminated from walking round the house. Even if it was immaculate I am still terrified about the exposure I’ve already suffered.

I really can’t see a light right now. I have callled 111 but if I’m not planning on killing myself they don’t care.

[Bigboyuk]

Hi anxious.adam, I can understand your worry about asbestos how ever the least you disturb it the better :) Blue asbestos how ever is the worst. I would get a qualified company (who deals with asbestos) to have a look round your house and provide you with a report on the findings Then if you got the money get rid of the asbestos room by room:) As for your clothes simply give them a long wash and tumble dry and clean out any filters out side in the fresh air. HTH ATB

[Nighttime pacer]

Hi Anxious Adam
I've been through this one myself.
I had some artex tested and there was no asbestos in it.
How old is the artex? They stopped using it in most artex in about 1990.
The type in artex is the white type not the most dangerous blue type.
I have mild asthma and was worried about asbestos in some really old lino tiles which were scraped up from my bathroom floor.
I asked my asthma specialist about it.
He said most people who develop a problem have been exposed to it regularly through their building job for years.
There is a small amount of background level asbestos on the london underground and in many other places as it was so widely used.
My lung specialist said "you may have been subjected to slightly higher than background levels of asbestos for a short time but i wouldn't worry about it".
I hope this helps a bit.
Whenever you read about some dying from asbestosis it's usually because they had a job that meant they were exposed to a lot of it for years before people knew the risks.
I managed to put my worry about it to the back of my head eventually, I hope you can too.
Take care
Nighttime Pacer

[MarkTwain]

Even if the Artex in your house contains asbestos, it's a very low percentage. And even if you were exposed, the odds of catching something from such a small exposure are vanishingly low.

[Liziik]

Hi I moved house last year and the garage is all asbestos board. I also have artex in my front room which my husband fell through when we were re wiring up stairs 🙄 I don't know if the artex has asbestos in it as there in no way of telling unless I get it tested. I do worry about it sometimes I won't lie. I've sat in lots of lectures etc about asbestos due to my work and I've learnt a lot over the years. Artex containing asbestos is the least worrisome and you have no proof there is even asbestos in it just because it is from the age where asbestos was being used it doesn't necessarily mean your artex has it. My grandad used to work with asbestos and I used to play in it! Please try not to let this get to you anymore then it has.