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Asbestos exposure, worried sick

LozM
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Hi,

Having renovation done and when builders cut through plastic soft fit yesterday in two places for block work to go up on second storey with jig saw turns out there was a thin cement board on the underside, I was in garden watching as discussing project with builder, the builder then dropped the soft fit into the dumper about 4 metres away from me and load of dust came up - mainly from dust/debris that was already in dumper. It was only afterwards main builder looked at soft fit in dumper and said mmm that could be an asbestos cement board that the soft fit was siliconed to. Is about 7mm thick and 50cm across.

No one was masked at that point as was not expected. Took a double bagged sample of the board to local testing place and came back as Chrysotile asbestos.

Initally was worried I had breathed some in but as I was outside would have been a small amount (appreciate even a small amount isn't considered safe) but was reasonably relaxed about it.  The thing that is really worrying me and I will never forgive myself for is that when I went in I didn't change clothes or shower, no idea what I was thinking but was pretty stressed by it all, later on I then proceded to take both youbng children to bed with lots of hugs and sitting on bed, it is only now after reading some more info realise is can stay on clothes, my body area would have presented a much larger area for fibres to gather.  To say I am stressed is an understatement, literally having what feels like first ever panic attacks at thought that have put my kids at risk.

I am going out of my mind, really not sure how to move on, feel like just ben given a life curse of worry about my childrens health.  Sorry for long post and appreciate many people on this forum will be going through far worse for themselves and loved ones but not sure where else to go as seemed a good forum for such discussion.

Any thoughts would greatly help.  Have read lots and guess no definitive answer, some places say even a tiny amount for wrong person or young child is enough to cause harm, other sites say daily exposure for a period of time is needed, children are so tiny and precious can't handle thinking I may have harmed them.

Lawrence

  • in reply to bencee

    Hi Bencee, 

    I just wanted to let you know that sharing personal information, such as email addresses, isn't allowed on the forum but you can share such information, if LozM is happy to do so, via private messaging. To do this you will need to add each other as a friend. We have some information on how to do this just here.

    All the best,

    Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Offline in reply to LozM

    I have added you as a friend to private message was not aware you could not share personal details on here apologies

  • Offline in reply to bencee

        Absolutely long shot that you are still on here, or checking in, but I’m in the midst of a lot of what you described in your posts and wondered if you could offer reassurances that this will pass. Getting easier each day but just when I think I’m squaring it, the dread overcomes me 

  • Offline in reply to Westie_5

    Hi Lawrence,

    Your message just came through to my email. I am sorry to hear you are struggling with this as I said a number of years ago. From the scenario you described in my opinion this is minute to zero risk. The reasons for this is that you yourself were not cutting the board and it was outside open to the elements. You could probably pick up the level of dust in a school or hospital, the exposure is non existent and far less for your children who would more likely to have more exposure in a school.

    I think the main issue here as was with me, is this has become an obsession, in reality there is no real risk but I completely get that it is in your head especially when you have children. I was exactly the same. To put it into perspective as am sure you have read, you really have to have worked with and be exposed to asbestos for many years for there to be a problem, even then it is a small percentage of people. My own builder now in his 70's worked with asbestos in the 1970s for years cutting a sawing etc as did most builders/joiners back then, but not all of them got ill from it.

    This is more of a compulsion/obsession which takes over the mind and the mind is powerful, but dont let it run away with you as I can now see that there is no risk to you or children from what you have described ( am assuming this stems from post 5 years ago) or is there a new scenario? Its a phobia and thats all it is. If you said you had worked for years with asbestos then I would say there is a risk. You have not therefore there is no risk at all. Try and relax there really is nothing to worry about at all.

    Hope that helps and feel free to message me again if you need any further clarification

    All the best

    Ben

  • Offline in reply to bencee

    Hi   thanks for replying and sorry for the  confusion. I’m a new poster who is going through the mill a bit at the minute and just hoped I could check in with someone who was previously in my position and offer me some reassurance that it does get easier to manage the anxiety. 
    I read and re read all the stuff here on the forum and I’m slowly getting there and know that it’s talking to folk who have experienced the same, and made their peace with it, that is helping me the most. 

  • Offline in reply to Westie_5

    Ok sorry I think I got confused, but happy try and help you as I know what its like with this asbestos worry. Whats triggered it?

  • Offline in reply to bencee

    Hi, thank you so much for this, I’m hoping  hearing how you have been able to move on will help me find some peace with my situation.
    My anxiety has been triggered by a plasterer scraping the Artex in the hall before plastering. More so because I’d never given the Artex a second thought as I know as long as it’s not disturbed it’s not an issue . I hadn’t had it tested (it was in good condition and the decision to plaster over it was a purely aesthetic one)  and have spent the time since worrying about fibres, even though I have wet wiped, cleaned, aired the space and thrown out the carpet. I’ve cleaned every room in the house and now on my 3rd hoover and recognising that I’m becoming a little obsessed to the point that I don’t want to be in my house. Your previous posts resonated with me as you had much the same feelings and anxiety as I currently do. I’ve read as much as I can and feel pretty rational about low one off exposure , especially thanks to the reasoned responses throughout this forum on the subject.  I suppose I just wanted to hear some advice on what I can do to help myself move on from this and stop the obsessing, or at the very least, make it more manageable. I have stopped googling after advice from the doctor but when the waves of anxiety come I can’t rationalise and it’s having an impact on my home life. 

  • Offline in reply to Westie_5

    Hi,

    I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this. I know exactly how it feels, and it can be very debilitating. I felt the same and didn’t want to be in my own home. However, what you’ve described is a very minor incident.

    As you’ve probably already read, artex typically contains low concentrations of asbestos, so the level of exposure is minimal. As I mentioned in my earlier email, people generally need to be exposed to asbestos and working with it for many years for it to affect their health. No one has ever become ill in the scenario you describe.

    That said, I do understand how it can take over and become an obsession, but that’s really what this is — a phobia. In reality, there is no significant risk here, especially as you’ve already cleaned up several times.

    My builder told me they used to saw asbestos AIB boards — one of the worst types — in the 1970s, and he said the room would be so full of dust you couldn’t see. Even then, they did not develop illness from it. Compared to that, this one-off incident is negligible, and I really wouldn’t worry about it at all.

    I’ve been through this myself, so I understand how overwhelming it can feel, but try to keep it in perspective. When the thought comes into your head, try to dismiss it — you know it isn’t rational. Also, try not to keep reading about it, as that tends to make things worse.

    I’ve managed to put it to the back of my mind and don’t really think about it anymore. I’m much more relaxed about it now.

    Another option that helped me was speaking to my doctor, who prescribed something called sertraline. It was a lifesaver. You do need to take it for a few months, but it can help reduce the obsessive thoughts and the anxiety. Even when the thought comes into your head, it tends to pass much more quickly.

    That’s an option if you feel you can’t manage it on your own, and if you’re open to medication.

    Hope this helps and you can try and park it in your mind when it pops in, other than that feel free to message me if you are still concerned..

    Ben

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