Hi I was on another site when I saw this.I suffer with anxiety to after my husband unknowingly took down our asbestos shed .I washed the clothes in our washing machine and the children were outside playing whilst it was done.Ever since then ...which was afew years  ago I have been paranoid about asbestos.in fact it was always on my mind.I've had the same guy out to check inside my house for asbestos 3 times...even though there was none.Luckily he was a lovely guy and humoured me and I joked I was probably his most paranoid customer...which he cheekily agreed to.My dad died recently unexpectedly ( not asbestos or coronavirus related ) and Since coronavirus and the goings on of many people losing their lives.The asbestos thing has really been put into perspective for me ( also with the help of taking high strength St. John's wort tablets off Amazon) I think about how many people have died from coronavirus ( this was easy to find out as we are always told the figures, but please don't move onto worrying about this next) Asbestos deaths are approx 1 in 900 people which equates to about 0.10% of population.really low and this is mainly in people who have worked with it all their lives , true people can have issues that don't but this sends the statistics down even lower.I know googling is the worst thing to do and many are American sites .They have to pay for hospital treatment in America so it doesn't surprise me sites like to sccaremonger.You did the right thing spraying down and wearing a mask .But even if you had t done that is highly unlikely that anything will come of it.I have done loads of research I assure you probrably can't get a more paranoid mummy than me lol.I think you have more chance of getting run over....I have probably googled all the chances of dying from things to compare it with.If you still have the boards you will need some one to remove them now and get rid of the clothes double bag them if they are in house or if outside leave them until someone can take away.These people work with it all the time so they must always have suits otherwise they'd always be exposed.But please try not to worry seen plenty of forums when countless people do the same.We are a total diy nation and asbestos is in loads of homes we aren't all dropping like flies.I know you see asbestos and see red exactly what I was like.But  from a risk assessment point of view it's extremely unlikely you have been affected by it.It likes to get to us worriers and worrying is more likely to cause damage I assure you.Take a deep breath.Rates of asbestosis are going down because people are aware of its potential dangers, where back in the day no one knew hence they continued to work with it.Hence the majority is through many years of workspace exposure.You will be ok!

Thank you for your reply.  :happy: and you positivity 

No problem I hope your feeling a bit better now.People say only 1 fibre can kill but that is rubbish otherwise every single one of us would die from asbestos exposure, as the truth is we are all exposed.it's in the air at extremely low levels it's even in our water.But it's background levels so don't worry about that as well.point is it's extremely unlikely after your one known exposure your going to get ill. Most things happen over a long period of time with significant exposure eg Repeated sunburn may lead to skin cancer but its extremely unlikely even 1 single bad burn would ( and in case your like me and May start a spiral of other things to worry about to lol ,skin cancer is very curable in many cases ) Too much sugar even though may seem harmless can cause diabetes....people with diabetes may be at higher risk of certain cancers.... goodness all those sweets we had as kids and we have made it! )  smoking....can cause heart disease but highly unlikely after afew lungfuls.Alcohol causes cancer and liver problems.You see my point.I have found it also beneficial to watch programmes on anxiety as they often explain how fear works to make you think irrationally.I've seen afew on i player recently good luck .

Obviously i can't give medical advice as im not a doctor, but i worked in the construction industry for 40 or so years and so have a good knowledge of asbestos and the health and safety required when working around it. While no exposure is good, my understanding is that its really a cumulative effect of inhaling asbestos for years before it becomes a serious health problem - the effects only start to really happen after 20 years from exposure. I know plumbers who were swimming in the stuff while working who in their 60s/70s and 80s with no signs yet of asbestosis. Breathing in some dust one time while doing diy is very unlikely to cause disease down the line.  We are constantly breathing in small amounts of it due to construction works etc outside in the air around us. Obviously avoid any future exposure, but please try to relax.

Hi read your post and have frightened myself. In short we had 2 bathrooms replaced by builders who knocked walls and ceilings down to refit. We did move out for the work, however all our stuff was in the house and am now very paranoid that we have fibres all over the carpets and I have 2 young children living there. I dont know for sure they disturbed asbestos but there is a chance as we have it in the garage ceiling so dont know where else it is, can you advise if you know a bit about it?

I hope you are feeling a bit better now. People say only one fibre can kill, however that is nonsense, otherwise each and every person would die from asbestos exposure, since we are all exposed. Here i want to share some important guidelines that will help you to protect you and your families from asbestos.

Causes of Asbestos in Your Home

1.  Renovating an older home

2.  Living with asbestos that is already in your walls, floors or ceilings

3.  Bringing new asbestos into your home

4.  Breathing contaminated air: Asbestos was used as insulation and fireproofing for decades and it is possible to breathe in some of the fibers around you, especially if you work on removing it yourself. Even if the material doesn't look like it's deteriorating or damaged, microscopic fibers can be released by simply vacuuming even after most of the dust has settled. If you choose to do the work yourself, always use a respirator rated for asbestos and wet down before starting to cut into the walls. Even better, have the work done by a professional.

4.  Age of home: Asbestos was once thought to be the miracle mineral because it has many properties that are advantageous to making good building materials, including durability and affordability. Because of this, asbestos was often used for insulation in homes built between 1930-1979.

5.  Living near an old asbestos plant or mine where you may have inhaled higher levels of asbestos fibers over time.  

6 .  Breathing in contaminated air from other industrial areas contaminating your local environment/water supply with residues containing asbestos fibers which travel on wind currents before settling down into your community's soil & water ways eventually leaching into the drinking supply.  

7.  Serving in the military before 1980 - Asbestos was used on Navy ships until it was discovered that asbestos fibers could be deadly to those working below decks and near boiler rooms during an emergency which required extensive repair work, dampening down hot surfaces to prevent fires, high heat/steam generating equipment, making numerous repairs below decks and the removal of damaged insulation.

Best ways to Protect Your Home From Asbestos

1.  Keep your home well ventilated at all times.

2.  Have a qualified asbestos company test your home before any sizeable renovation or demolition project.

3.  If you need to renovate, make the least intrusive changes possible and only when necessary. Work with people who have experience in dealing with old homes that may contain asbestos-based insulation & lagging around hot water pipes found in basements and garages of homes built before 1980 . Most of this is usually wrapped in paper or contained within an inner metal shell for protection from high temperature areas such as these two locations mentioned but once disturbed, if handled without precautions, can release very dangerous fibers into the air where a homeowner can breath them in leading to further complications within the lungs.

4.  If you must renovate or do demolition, always hire a company that is licensed to handle asbestos-based materials and make sure they are doing their work in accordance with Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) rules. If you're not familiar with OSHA rules here are some general guidelines to follow when hiring any contractor for renovation or construction work:

1.  Make sure it's an insured business that carries worker compensation insurance .

2.  The company should be bonded & have liability insurance .

3.  Before starting work on your home, confirm whether or not the business hires subcontractors or uses outside help for projects like this because if so, you will need to contact these people to confirm that they have the required insurance also.

4.  Confirm what percentage of their company is made up of full-time employees vs. subcontractors to ensure you hire a business with a solid work history and experience in home renovation or construction projects like this .

5.  Check references from previous customers to find out whether or not the company completed the job as promised and if it passed a final inspection before a warranty was issued by the owner.

6 .  Make sure all workers on site are OSHA certified, speak English & understand your concerns about keeping your family safe during renovations or other smaller scale demolition work to be done around your property for any reason including yard cleanups & landscaping updates.

7 .  Tell the company to use rubber/plastic shoe covers when entering your home and to change into clean clothes (coveralls) before they leave each day and throw away their work clothing in a sealed bag in a locked trash can or dumpster where no one else will touch it & take these with them every night.

8.  Ask what industrial grade HEPA filter mask they'll be using when working inside your home. If you're not sure if it's of an acceptable standard, go online for more information about choosing the right mask for asbestos abatement. You may have to upgrade from a common N95 dust mask which is certified for use by coal miners only - not homeowners!

What type of devices can protect you from asbestos exposures in your home?

1. HEPA Air Purifier(What Is HEPA Air Purifier For Asbestos)

2 . HEPA Vacuum Cleaner

3. HEPA Furnace Filters (a must for any forced-air heating system)https://www.healthline.com/health/hepa-air-filter

4. Negative Air Machine (can be rented at some local hardware stores or on Amazon)

Hi I see this is a while ago but very relevant to what I have been through of late walking my young children near where a cement board roof has been taken down and some bits have been broken near a barn we have bought for conversion which has lost a roof panel of late and the adjacent barn someone else is buying which has lost some of its roof down recently also it almost collapsed in the storms a while ago I think then lost a panel last week. 
 

snyway I walked my children past there last week as that is where we are hoping to build and live and have since freaked out gone into depression/ on tablets/ cannot cope with the thought of them breathing in asbestos. I cannot function. Reading this has given me some hope obviously they weren't drilling/ jumping on anything and I moved as quick as I could away but my brains in overdrive 

Hi I'm so sorry I missed your post.

it is quite unlikely that you have asbestos walls or ceiling.Celing in the house of asbestos boards is often seen as panels and wouldn't usually show up as a smooth ceiling.you would more than likely be able to see the joins of the panels rather than the sealing being nice and flat.If it was an artex  asbestos ceiling with like a popcorn or a whipped cream peak effect this would only contain about 2 percent asbestos.So even if you did have that and it was broken the risk is really low. It's very most likely bricks wall and a plasterboard celing.especially if it is pre 1940s my house is 1945 and no asbestosis in the house .Only asbestos soffit boards outside by gutter.And the shed that my husband dismantled..You could check with your neighbours to see if they know what's in their ceiling etc as if a semi your neighbours will be the same most likely.The builders would get into a lot if trouble and could get fined if they went round continuing to knowingly knock down things with asbestos in ( Also they have their own health to consider) Please try not to worry.Workplace exposure over many years are the ones most at risk.Tiny, minute percentage .

Thankyou so much for your words they mean more than you'll ever know. Here I am at 2.41 in the morning awake panicking and this has made me feel so so much better. I have been told by the doctors I catastrophise and I hope with cbt and hypnotherapy I'll stop doing this and move forward. I'm going to screenshot your reply and keep this close when I am anxious about this exposure that may never have happened and may not cause an issue if it did. It was the corrugated roof cement boards The ones on industrial units etc i note my husband now works under daily!. I will be getting an aspestos company to remove and do air checks once the land is signed over and i hope I can one day move forward with this now obsession. I can now see asbestos everywhere I look, I would never have known I'm sure i used to pick holes in my old artex wall and throw balls on to corrugated roofs of sheds! I would never have thought about this prior so although I'm glad I'm educated I kind of wish I'd never heard the word asbestos before!thankyou again