I am worried as there is exposed asbestos in my flat i think, what should i do?
By admin on Oct 24, 2009 in Maintenance & Repairs
Darlingthatsfabulous asked:
The flat dates to the 60’s i think, and there were these gross yucky tiles on my wiindowsill in my bathroom which i am having decorated. I am sure these are the original tiles as they are in all the rooms on the windowsills. Anyways, my dad took these off today and exposed what he thinks is asbestos. It’s in solid form and he is going to come and seal it all back up tomorrow. But i am worried about staying here tonight. I have put a bingab over it and sealed this at all the edges and it has been dampened to stop dust particles. However i am sure i could see bits flying about before i sealed it up as there was a draft coming in. What does asbestos look like? and will i be ok staying here tonight?
Ive also opened all the windows in my flat.
The flat dates to the 60’s i think, and there were these gross yucky tiles on my wiindowsill in my bathroom which i am having decorated. I am sure these are the original tiles as they are in all the rooms on the windowsills. Anyways, my dad took these off today and exposed what he thinks is asbestos. It’s in solid form and he is going to come and seal it all back up tomorrow. But i am worried about staying here tonight. I have put a bingab over it and sealed this at all the edges and it has been dampened to stop dust particles. However i am sure i could see bits flying about before i sealed it up as there was a draft coming in. What does asbestos look like? and will i be ok staying here tonight?
Ive also opened all the windows in my flat.
On Oct 25, 2009, Muddy said:
I wouldnt worry emphaesema (or asbestosis) wont occur after a quick exposure…it takes years and years of breathing it to have a noticable impact! Typical H&S overreaction! Typically asbestos wasnt used in things like window sills, it probably was old plaster!! You’ll be OK as long as you dont drill the stuff. You’ll be ok for tonight!! I think you can get the council to have a look at it and remove it?
On Oct 25, 2009, Gertrude Jekyll said:
You get you dad just to put some plastic sheets over the asbestos the least it is disturbed the better. Get in touch with the environmental officer at your local council it is late but someone ought to be there…go on now.
And ignore muddy it has to be removed under controlled conditions and breathing it in now can and could stay in your lungs for years. It is a spore that clings and multiplys on the lungs …I know. And asbestosis has no known cure.
On Oct 27, 2009, wer30snfun said:
It aint no big deal… it peobably isnt asbestos. I can’t imagine any reason asbestos would be UNDER your tiles. Even if it was asbestos, its not like it’s the big bad wolfe and is going to jump out and get you. I swear, too many people have heard way to much hype about the stuff!!!!!! Knowledge is power…. go do some reading and inform yourself. In the meantime, don’t sweat it.
On Oct 30, 2009, barnie said:
Why Not phone your local council
On Nov 2, 2009, Kayjay04 said:
Your fine, it takes years to see any affects…
I work in this kind of field and I know that you should look into making sure you don’t need to have it tested by an environmental agency. You could potentially have fines attached to renovation activities that have not been properly permitted. Check into that first, with your state and county. Then you will want to have the samples tested and make sure it’s not friable material ( positive for asbestos). Don’t disturb anything else and take all the right steps…you’ll be fine.
On Nov 2, 2009, sonofbrunhilde said:
Take long, deep breaths near where you think the asbestos is located.
On Nov 4, 2009, diver0604 said:
IF it is asbestos, the damage is already done. Once airborne, it can be inhaled and your longs can’t get rid of it. This is what can cause the lung desease asbestosis. That is the scary stuff the asbestos removal companies tell you.
Now that you are scared to death…….don’t be.. Number one, you don’t know what the material is (asbestos needs to be checked by a testing company to be sure) Asbestos is a natural needle like fiber that has the properties of being fireproof and flexible. That is why fireproof suits for firefighters used to be made of it.The worst asbestos used in the building industry was used to insulate heating ducts. That form was easily made airborne. Asbestos was used in many other areas of construction, but most were added to other materials such as adhesives, floor tiles, & plaster. Most of the time, it was added as a filler.
While locked in the matrix of other materials, asbestos is very safe. Most schools built prior to 1960 in the US still have asbestos floor tiles in use today. Think about it this way, construction workers were using these products for years without harmful effects. The danger of asbestos in most cases is way overblown. Can you get sick and die from it? YES! Does it happen very often? NO In the US, the number of cases atributed to Asbestos each year is about 10,000. With a population of over 300 million, that leaves a death rate of .003 percent. Not exactly a leading cause of death. And yet, half the population lives with the stuff each day. The danger of all the other pollutents we deal with every day living in a city is far worse than asbestos.
Most likely what you found was fiberglass insulation anyway. Have your dad ware a good dust mask, cover the material over with new building materials and forget about it. Try not to disturb the material too much as he works with it just in case though.
What you have under window tiles may or may not be asbestos (I don’t know why it would be there) but with what you have already done, and with sealing it in later, I am sure you will be fine.
On Nov 4, 2009, chauncey1970cam said:
you dont need to worry about it as long as it is not broken abstos looks white (maybe with a slight blue tint to it usually just white) it will have small shiny bits in when you look close
On Nov 7, 2009, srracvuee said:
your getting yourself a bit worked up but keep a cover over and call in an expert//the council will inform you