Came across this post due to worries of my own about artex removal and wondered what you had done following posting and had you allayed your concerns ? I’m finding it difficult to get past all my negative concerns just now and looking for some reassurance 

Hello and thank you for posting.

As it has been a while since this thread has been posted on, I thought I would send you a response.

I am sorry you are worried about your exposure to artex. Do read further about asbestos exposure and your risk of cancer on our website.

As you will see from my colleagues previous responses, regular exposure to asbestos is known to increase the risk of lung disease and cancer, but very few people become ill.

Asbestos related diseases, like mesothelioma, are rare.

The Health and Safety Executive website (which is really about health and safety at work), says that short term exposures with asbestos are very unlikely to have any long-term ill health effects. 

If you are still concerned do make an appointment to talk your worries through with your GP, as these health anxieties can become overwhelming.

Take care and if you would like to chat with the nurses on the helpline do call 0808 800 4040. Lines are open mon-fri, 9-5.

Sarah.

Hello and thank you for posting.

As it has been a while since this thread has been posted on, I thought I would send you a response.

I am sorry you are worried about your exposure to artex. Do read further about asbestos exposure and your risk of cancer on our website.

As you will see from my colleagues previous responses, regular exposure to asbestos is known to increase the risk of lung disease and cancer, but very few people become ill.

Asbestos related diseases, like mesothelioma, are rare.

The Health and Safety Executive website (which is really about health and safety at work), says that short term exposures with asbestos are very unlikely to have any long-term ill health effects. 

If you are still concerned do make an appointment to talk your worries through with your GP, as these health anxieties can become overwhelming.

Take care and if you would like to chat with the nurses on the helpline do call 0808 800 4040. Lines are open mon-fri, 9-5.

Sarah.

Hi, thanks for replying. I guess I’m just trying to seek assurance and perspective from people who have had a similar experience. Like them I’m worried that the clean up afterwards was like a whole added exposure and at which point can I tell myself I’ve done enough.

Hi,

First of all a big thank you to Clastegra, Nurse Celene, Nurse Jemma and Nurse Sarah. Your replies really did help when I was extremely anxious!

Hi Westie_5, I can completely relate to how anxious you must be feeling. It was completely consuming me when I was worrying about this a couple of months ago. So as well as reading the Nurses replies above I also contacted an asbestos specialist and my doctor.

The doctor told me that the exposure I had been given was considered very minimal and that it was extremely unlikely that I I would develop anything sinister later down the line. My doctor reminded me that many workers work with asbestos everyday and are exposed to higher volumes than what is present in artex and still serious illness is rare for even them.

The asbestos specialist also really put my mind at rest. Artex (if it contains asbestos at all) usually only contains a very small amount of asbestos, usually about 1-4%. The asbestos fibres if they are present are bonded into the rest of the material that makes up the artex so even if you chip it or break it less asbestos fibres would be released into the air. And finally artex contains white abestos or chrysotile. This is considered one of the less dangerous forms of asbestos fibre. Because of it's nature they are far more likely to be caught by the hairs that protect your lungs if breathed in or dissolved by your lungs natural cleaning processes. A one time job removing or cleaning up artex would be considered an extremely low risk event. The asbestos specialist said I had more than likely inhaled more asbestos walking past a building site in the past.

I also looked up some of the reports made by the HSE (as mentioned by Nurse Sarah above). The amount of asbestos that would be floating around from removing artex from a ceiling is going to be less than the daily allowed exposure for workman. But let's just say you did inhale more than a daily workman, you would have to be exposed to it everyday for a year or more before your risk would be considered a worry.

A couple of other facts that helped put things into perspective for me. People breath in asbestos everyday - especially if you live in the city. It's a natural occurring substance that comes from rocks. Also asbestos was commonly used in break pads years ago so many people would have breathed in fibres just from being around traffic. Again despite all of this serious illness is very rare.

I saw you mentioned not knowing how much cleaning up was enough. If you've had windows open it's likely the hairs have been taken outside by now. If it was workman doing the removal of the artex it's likely them coming in and out would have dispersed much of it too. If you are worried though you can book in an asbestos specialist to do an air check to see what the levels are like. I was quoted around £200. I told the asbestos specialist that I had even hoovered up with a regular hoover (which they say not to do) and they still weren't worried at all. They told me to open windows to the area and shut inside doors so the air currents carry the hairs outside instead of around the house. 

Above all though I would say try not to worry. We're exposed to possibly harmful substances everyday of our lives. Worrying about situations like this will do more harm than the event itself.

I hope that helps a bit and do talk to your doctor as Nurse Sarah has recommended, not because they're going to tell you anything bad, but because they can put your mind at rest.

Westie_5 One last point that I forgot. The main exposure when dealing with artex is usually to the person removing the artex (again a very low exposure level though). Just cleaning up the artex would have meant that you had even less exposure so certainly nothing to lose sleep over.

Hi, thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me as a lot of what you have said has helped me to rationalise and be more realistic about what has happened. I have gone way down the rabbit hole on the internet , and have scoured endless information, but a lot of your comments back up things I have taken away such as the lungs capacity for cleaning out chrysotile and the environmental presence of asbestos. You saying about the risk being less than what workmen go through has helped as I probably have been exposed more from random building works in the city I live in. You have helped me to put a lot into perspective.
I’ve ventilated the space well but concerned as it was a hallway and landing ceiling that was scraped. The plasterer did put down plastic sheeting and clean up after himself The only plus point was the doors were closed to the other rooms but my worry was that in accessing rooms I’ve spread fibres. I did wet wipe and hoover the space over a couple of days. 
My ongoing worry about fibres, and the thing I’m trying to rationalise and move on from, has led me to thoroughly clean all the rooms in the house and have air filters on the go since it happened 3 weeks ago. I just don’t know if I’m now taking it to extremes as I’m exhausted in an endless cycle of cleaning or throwing out things I think are contaminated. I would be keen to hear what other precautions you took following your initial clean up as this might help me to reset and draw a line. Although, the reassurance from the specialist you spoke to has calmed me down somewhat already today and you sharing your experience has allowed me to be the most rational since this started. 
You really have helped me to get some perspective and I value the time you have taken to  speak with me 

 AHarr  I forgot to ask, did you opt to have the air clearance test done? 

 AHarr CRUK Nurse Sarah Thanks to both of your advice I rang and had a chat with both my doctor and one of the nurses on the chat line today. Just being able to speak aloud all my fears and worries, and the reassurance they gave me, has me in a much better place mentally this evening and I’m hoping I’ll sleep much better tonight. The anxiety hasn’t gone completely but I feel I might have turned a corner in my reframing of the situation. They both also advised to stick to looking over this forum when I have a wobble and to stay away from the internet.  

Thanks again for your time and reassurance, I really appreciate it 

As an addition should anyone come across this thread with a similar situation, please look through all the information shared across the forum and hold onto that when you feel so helpless