Hello All,
When I was younger, around the age of 15, a few of my friends and myself used a relatively recently disused factory (we used it in 2004-2005, it shut down production in 1998) to build a makeshift skatepark.
I'm concerned that there was potential asbestos material in this factory (for what its worth they made knitted jumpers) that we may have disturbed during our activity.
I think we would have gone there a few times (estimate say ~30 times in total), and would have stayed there for around ~2 hours per visit. Again this was so long ago I cannot give an accurate account of this.
We would not have deliberately disrupted material, but may have done it inadvertently (we were riding BMX bikes on these makeshift ramps, so could have kicked up dust etc).
I've tried to look at this objectively, recognizing that there were factory workers there several years before in a period where Health and Safety standards (e.g. 1987 – The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations) would have been in place to mitigate exposure, and this facility would have been operating for over a decade with this legislation in place.
They were also considering turning it into a bowling alley and shopping center in 2003, which gives me some comfort (planning refused for lack of parking).
Overall I'm petrified that at aged 34 (or anytime in the future, due to the cancers long latency periods) I may develop a cancer related to potential exposure.