The nurses will be back online on Monday.

I'm no expert but my understanding is that low level asbestos is pretty safe unless you disturb it by drilling into it, breaking it up with a hammer or cutting it with a saw.

Many older buildings have Artex ceilings and walls - a thick gloopy paint which used to contain asbestos fibre to hold it together often used to cover up cracks in plaster.

The HSE has some useful information - www.hse.gov.uk/.../faq.htm

Best wishes

Dave

Hello and thanks for your post

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 overly worry about this and remember you can always ring the GP if you are still concerned.

Best wishes,

Celene

Thank you Davek, I really appreciate your kind reply and supportive reassurance