Anthrax fear

[Brizzle]

Hi, my dad passed away recently. I've been clearing out his house.
Last Thursday we cleared the personal
contents of the cellar. I later discovered that the ceiling is lathe and plaster. Tiny bit of the plaster fell off the roof. I have later learned horsehair plaster can have anthrax in. Now I'm worried about that and asbestos. We didn't use masks and now I have a snotty nose and irritated throat. They are the first sign of anthrax poisoning. We didn't hit any plaster down etc.My son has a cold and my brother already had a sote throat. My brother regularly weight lifts in the cellar and has not got ill. Absolutely terrified. We bagged the stuff up and brought it back on the car. Now terrified in its the car.
Wish I'd never touched it.

[Pamplemousse]

You have an irritated throat and nose from all the dust and general shite that you've thrown up from clearing a cellar, and more fool you for not wearing a mask. The mucus is attempting to wash away the dirt. If I go anywhere dusty and undisturbed to clean up, if I don't put a mask on I get this too.

I very much doubt it's anthrax poisoning. Someone I knew was ripping down ceilings with gay abandon in a property they were renovating where parts of it dated back to the Middle Ages. That person is still alive.

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/anthrax-annual-epidemiological-report-2016-2014-data

[Dying_Swan]

Very sorry to hear about your Dad. As for the ceiling, lath & plaster ceilings are common in old houses. I had my artex-covered lath & plaster ceiling ripped down a while ago. It was very messy and the whole room (+ builders) were covered in artex and plaster. The horsehair plaster and laths remain and have been plastered over. As far as I know, everyone involved is still alive and well. If you've bagged up asbestos, you need to make sure it's properly and legally disposed of, but from what you've said I don't get the impression that anything more than a small bit of plaster has come down?

[Brizzle]

No asbestos I'm aware. Just the lathe and plaster. Yes, a small piece fell off, some patches have fallen down previously. We were bagging up contents, not the ceiling. It was the usual dust you get with a cellar. First time I've been down there in years, annoyed at myself for not wearing a mask. Only in there for an hour tops. Worried , thanks for reply.

[Dying_Swan]

Having had a quick google, there has been one single case of inhalational anthrax in the UK between 1981 and 2009. It's incredibly rare, and in terms of horsehair plaster, the (very small) risk seems to be to construction workers doing demolitions. I didn't wear a mask when my ceiling came down, and while I wasn't in the room while they actually ripped it down, I was in there most of the day, and cleared up a lot of it without any protective clothing (possibly stupid and I'm not recommending it, but that's what I did). I'm certainly not an expert and by all means give 111 a call if you're worried, but I think you'll be fine.

[Fishmanpa]

I'm 100% positive we won't be seeing you in the headlines.

Positive thoughts

[Brizzle]

Thanks for replying, very kind, still convinced I'm gonna die. This has brought back all my health anxiety. Really depressed.

[MyNameIsTerry]

It's more if you disturb the fibres with asbestos. Whilst this can mean it crashing down it's more commonly seen as someone drilling or cutting into it causing the fibres to be breaking apart and circulating in the air.

Remember that even if there is asbestos in the air from this it will most likely be the white form, which is the lowest risk, and the health advice is always that it takes repeated exposures to be a real risk. Builders are doing this all day, everyday.

[Brizzle]

I mean with the horsehair plaster and anthrax