Possible exposer to Asbestos without realising…

I was helping someone renevate a old house today, I started using a scraper to scrape off backing paper which had Artex on and done this for about 30 minutes without wearing any masks or gloves, then I clicked and realised the possibility of the Artex having Asbestos and stopped immediately. I spoke to the owner and he was very doubtful that the Artez has asbestos, but has never had it tested so it couldn't be ruled out. I did have a window open next to me about 60cm wide, and the backing paper was falling off in whole pieces, like wallpaper does, which resulted in minimal dust coming off the Artez. Once I stopped, I left the site and went home, showed/scrubbed and put all my clothes into the wash. 
If the worst case scenario turns out and the Artez did have Asbestos, how at risk am I as I'm really overthinking already and can't stop thinking about it. 

  • Hello MichaelNG94 and thank you for your post.

    I am afraid that no one can tell anyone what their own individual risk of developing cancer is.  It is people who worked in industry where they were exposed to asbestos over a long period of time, without recommended protection, that have the greater risk of developing mesothelioma or other lung conditions.  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has information about this on their website, you can see it here   Also if you click on their FAQ's here  and scroll down the page you will see a section for members of the public.

    It is not possible to prevent cancer completely but there are things you can do to reduce your risk, these include not smoking and keeping a healthy weight. We have more information about reducing the risk of cancer on our website here  

    I hope this has been helpful.

    Take care care,

    Caroline