Severe anxiety after asbestos exposure

Hello to anyone who has the patience and time to read this

 

During a bathroom renovation we've gone and cut a horizontal soil pipe down using a grinder with metal cutting discs, because it fooled us into thinking it was a cast iron pipe due to the appearance of rust on one end of it. Turned out the part of the pipe that has been cut was a different material, and is almost certainly white asbestos containing cement. This happened internally. I wasn't the one stood over it cutting it, I was in and out of the room maybe twice to remove some stuff , shutting the door each time. I would say the cutting went on for 15 minutes in total. The guy cutting the pipe then came downstairs where I was with the cut piece and we went outside with it where he said it was an odd material and at that point I realised that it could possibly be asbestos. I got into an argument with him, he left immediately taking the pipe with him. After a small breakdown I went and picked up a respirator mask and came back to clear the room , sprayed it down with soapy water in a squeezy bottle and hoovered the room although I would've expected a lot more visible dust as there was hardly any except around the immediate site of the cutting and even then it wasnt much - I've cut into brick before and the entire room turns visibly dusty immediately but this did not happen here although I appreciate asbestos fibres can be invisible to naked eye. This was an internal upstairs bathroom. The bathroom window was open at the time as was the landing and all bedroom doors shut. We still had bathroom stuff in there , plus tools. I threw out everything including tools bathroom cabinets etc taking the shortest route outside. My partner and 2 young kids were out at the time. After cleaning with soapy wate and kitchen towel and hoovering , I binned my clothes and the hoover  and took a shower in the downstairs bathroom and left that upstairs bathroom door shut for several weeks cleaning the landing and rest of the house with a brand new shark hoover . The next time I went in there I went in with dust suit and new respirator and stupidly hoovered it down again with a boggo building site titan hoover (non h class as a I later found out should've been used) keeping the door shut and window open but still I believe this isn't good. Again, binned my clothes after that and the hoover I used Has been put in a shed outside. I've been careful not to use the same hoover in the bathroom as anywhere else in the house. I dont know why I didn't call a specialist straight away I was terrified and didn't want to know for sure it was asbestos and thought I could just deal with this and put behind me. Fast forward to now 7-8 weeks after he incident I've not stepped foot in that room,  the fear and anxiety has grown and I've called up.a specialist who is coming to test the material and who will properly clean the area if its a positive test. The specialist has put the Willie's up me , who commended me for using soapy water at first but said I shouldn't have hoovered it with normal hoover. Please anybody help , I'm so concerned for my family's(2 young kids) well being , we have to live in this house and I feel like I've given them all a death sentence. I'm normally so careful I already had tests done elsewhere in the house. Now I feel like there are asbestos fibres everywhere in my sons beds , etc. Anxiety is huge and bordering on suicidal thoughts which is extreme and awful (selfish too I know, I cant bear these thoughts

  • Hello Benjaminiful and a big welcome to our forum, 

    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 and 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 and do mention to your doctor how anxious this is making you feel and that sometimes these dark thoughts pop into your head. If you feel really down, the Samaritans helpline is also there to help and offers a listening ear 24/7 on this free number 116 123. 

    I hope this reassures you a little and I hope that you will also hear from other members of our forum who have been exposed to asbestos before and felt also really anxious about it. 

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator