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Asbestos contamination fear

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Hi. I am experiencing an extreme anxiety about asbestos contamination. I work in a big warehouse. Just about 2 months ago, a damaged ceiling tiles that contains brown asbestos in my workplace was removed by a professional asbestos remover. They used scaffolds to access it and enclosed that particular area. They did that on a weekend and when we came back Monday, the place was such a mess and full of dust and dirt on the floor. We don't know if these are just dirt that came from scaffolds or some asbestos also. A person was called in and used a machine that wet the floor and suck the dirt up.

Now, this situation put fear in me that what if the asbestos remover did not properly do their job and the whole of our warehouse is now contaminated with asbestos fibres. Because when they removed the  plastic enclosure, and the scaffolds, asbestos fibres could still be in those materials and been blown towards the pallets and shelves in our stores.

My job involves picking stuff inside pallets and shelves. I am now anxious that asbestos fibres are in there and contaminating me. My biggest fear is that I am bringing asbestos fibres everytime I come home, contaminating my car, our house and endangering my family. 

My question now, what is the likelihood that I could be contaminated with asbestos fibres after work, and me bringing it into my house? If ever there are asbestos that I brought home, will these be sufficient enough to cause asbestos related illnesses?

I'm sorry for the long post and apologize if somehow my fear is irrational. But unfortunately for me, I find logic behind my fear. I'm just extremely worried that I'm endangering my family's life and I can't bare that thoughts anymore... I'm hoping somebody could help me out here.

Many thanks.

 

 

  • Hello and thanks for posting

    Many people worry about similar situations when they think they may have been exposed to asbestos.

    Asbestos is still a very common substance and most people are exposed to a very small amount of asbestos fibres in their lives and yet asbestos related diseases are rare. So if you can, try not to be overly worried. It is regular occupational exposure to asbestos over many years that is known to increase the risk of lung disease and cancer, often two or three decades later.

    It's worth bearing in mind that practically everyone is exposed to asbestos and that low levels are present in our environment as it can be found in air and soil and yet very few people become ill. 

    According to the Health and Safety Executive (which is really about health and safety at work), short term exposures with asbestos will most likely have led to minimal exposure to fibres and is very unlikely to have any long-term ill health effects. You can read more about this by clicking here.

    You can read more about this on the British Lung Cancer Foundation website at this link.

    Easier said than done but try not to worry about this occurrence and remember you can always ring the GP if you are still concerned.

    Best wishes,

    Celene

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