Hi Orangelime. Welcome to the forum.

I'm not a doctor nor am I an expert on asbestos. However, this question pops up regularly on this forum. 

The asbestos in Artex was Chrysotile, or white asbestos, and it made up about 2% of the mix. Whilst white asbestos cannot be called "safe", it is definitely the least hazardous form.  Furthermore the body will naturally clear out a small number of white asbestos fibres over time.  The low concentration of asbestos means that the number of fibres released will be quite low if you cut or drill it, with many fibres remaining trapped in the other 98% of material that fell to the floor and got swept up. 

You asked about the risk to your family.  Perhaps not surprisingly, there are no figures for the number of people who have died due to exposure to asbestos in decorative products.  However in 2016 there were 2,197 male deaths and 398 female deaths from mesothelioma. I hate to use gender stereotyping, but I suspect that few of those women were exposed at work, which means they must have been exposed to asbestos elsewhere. In the home, perhaps?  Now 398 sounds a lot, but to put it in context, 3500 people die in the home each year from simple accidents; 1800 die each year in road accidents; 1500 die from accidental poisoning; 1500 die each year from falling in the home; 5-10 die each year putting on their socks.  

So, although you're kicking yourself that you disturbed the material, you have done what most other householders (including me!) have done at some time - disturbed the Artex in the ceiling and possibly breathed in the fibres. But the extra risk to your family appears to be minimal and definitely nothing to panic about. It most certainly isn't a death warrant that will be hanging over everyone's head for years to come. You're getting expert advice on what to do next, but maybe sealing the damaged areas and being more asbestos aware is all that you'll need to do. Almost certainly removing the Artex would be more dangerous than leaving it in place and keeping it properly sealed. 

I'll also add one further point. Smoking and asbestos are a lethal combination. If you or any of your family are smokers, then now might be a good time to quit. 

So I guess the take home message is Don't Panic. 

Thank you for this. Really appreciate you replying. I do feel reassured now! 

Hi Jak99, 

This post is a life saver to my sanity! We bought a house 2.5 years ago and although the surveyor said we should get the ceilings checked, we never did. My husband said not to worry, so I didn't. Recently I watched a program and it raised alarm bells again, so we've decided to get it all checked. I'll be honest I have been racked with worry, not sleeping and so anxious for our little boy (3 years old), particularly as we also drilled the ceiling (not realising) and had a wardrobe built as well. We have some open holes in the artex as well, where cables are coming through. This post has made me feel so much better! Would you mind sharing any links you have to the info so I could read more? 

Hey Jac 99

I have just come across your post regarding asbestos. Any chance we can have a chat. I have been screwing over something related for the last two weeks. 

Hi Jac

Of course, feel free to add me and private message

How do i add you?

I've sent you a friend request, but to save time, just ask me what you want on here. 

Hey Elena,

Stressed out of my head. My son and pregnant wife just bought a house-  built in late 1930’s. They had door frames ripped out and used a steamer to remove the 4 layers of wallpaper in the living room.

My son removed the bathroom and kitchen tiles and they’ve been in and out for last 3-4 weeks getting builders and plasters in. Lots of debris from wall stripping and plaster and cement from where architrives and door frames removed.

Three  questions- 

House is very warm despite the cold outside - The walls seem very solid. Could there be asbestos insulating board in the walls??

Risk of asbestos exposure from the work they’ve carried out? 

Asbestos from wallpaper removal and cement and plaster.? 

Thanks

By "in the walls", if you mean in the cavity it is almost certain that nothing is there. Most cavity wall insulation was done from the 90's onwards and asbestos was not used for that. Asbestos was widely used after WW II, but not used much in housing before then. It is very common in houses built in the 60's and 70's.  Asbestos Insulating Board was more likely to have been used in an industrial setting. The biggest risk for asbestos usage will have been decorating in the 60's and 70's, and applying Artex to the ceilings.

Please could I get the details of these individuals. My wife is riddled with anxiety about this issue and we have no way of resolving it without speaking to experts  at this point. Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated. 

Hello, I've read the whole thread and I know that Jeff has been gone a while, but was wondering if anyone else has any insight into this. A few years ago I briefly sanded a stippled ceiling in an attempt to smooth it. It didn't work too well so I gave up, and instead scraped it off. I have no idea how much of a dose / exposure the sanding is likely to have been. I'm extremely worried now. Would anyone have any experience or insight into this?

Hi Jak. Hopefully, you're still monitoring this account as I saw your comment and was very intrigued. I've started to become increasingly worried about some DIY work my wide and I did several years ago - scraping and sanding of some textured ceiling and wall paints. Your comment about the 250 years was something I haven't seen before. Where is that from? Do you have a UK contact or specialist you spoke to? We don't have access to the property anymore so it's hard to get a sample but I'd just like to speak to an expert (that isn't incentivised to terrify me). Thanks.

Hi Jak. Hopefully, you're still monitoring this account as I saw your comment and was very intrigued. I've started to become increasingly worried about some DIY work my wide and I did several years ago - scraping and sanding of some textured ceiling and wall paints. Your comment about the 250 years was something I haven't seen before. Where is that from? Do you have a UK contact or specialist you spoke to? We don't have access to the property anymore so it's hard to get a sample but I'd just like to speak to an expert (that isn't incentivised to terrify me). Thanks.