Asbestos worry

[Lewisbroad24]

I'm only 16 and today I worked in a flat and was moving an invented cylinder and underneath was a small ish dust pile which was suspect asbestos and we moved it with a dust pan for an expert to come and examine and he said that it was positive I'm really worried that I may have been exposed to it and really worried please help

[Hidden]

I would try not to worry really most dust is sucked up nose caught in snot then when blow nose sneeze is expelled.

Your only young and assume in good nick .... Am sure you might of done worse things in ya life BUT nout wrong with using face mask or bandana next time working in dusty environment

[sassy59]

Try not to worry Lewis and do wear a mask in future. Speak to your GP if you feel that would help. You take care and enjoy your life. Xx

[changohank]

I'm sure all will be OK, you were aware that it might have been asbestos and sound pretty clued up so will have been careful around it. But do wear a dust mask/bandana they might be a nuisance but they help keep your lungs in good nick.

[stone-UK]

Hi

You have had good replies. But the next time you suspect Asbestos. Leave alone and let people who are trained and fully equipped do any removing.

Far to many employers are putting workers at risk, in order to get on with the job. There should have been a Asbestos risk assessment before any work was carried out.

My last job was Asbestos removal supervisor.

[Hidden]

Hi please don't worry as it would take much more exposure to it than once to cause you any problems in the future. Stone's advice is excellent. x

[peege]

Good replies above. If you're still worried please try ringing the BLF help line 03000 030 555 or 0300 030 555.

I hope you'll find the confidence to avoid situations like that in the future. If they don't have good masks on site then carry a bandana as the others suggest. Always breath through the nose around dust.

You're very sensible, take care of your precious self 😃

[guytane]

don't worry you have to work with it for long time I did when I left school brake dust off cars I am now 55 still here

[mmzetor]

like the others said one lot isn't going to hurt , my dad use to cut sheets of it with an angel grinder for years with no mask he use to be covered in dust he was also asthmatic , he is 82 now and still goes up ladders ect , he is fitter than me really

[Hidden]

from memory. .when it was frist told to us the public that asbestos courses. ...asbestosis. ..but it could take up to 20 or 30 years before it could be detected. ...I remember this as I sometimes thought ...it was very possible that I could have it....it's been over 40 years since I put on a new asbestos roof for Kodak when they where in crickerwood....and there was a lot of dust that come from it. ...

at 16 years old...I am a bit surprised that you read things like this site...

you could get in touch with a lawer to see if you can get a bit of compensation for the stress you are having.😕

[Helen6]

Lewis, I am concerned that this was a serious breach of health and safety regulations by the firm you work for. You should not have been allowed to go anywhere near the dust, let alone move it, once asbestos was suspected. I think you should seek legal advice with regard to the firm putting workers at risk as this bad practice should not be allowed to continue. Hopefully, as everyone else has said, you will be fine but as problems do not occur for many years, it would be worth having a record of this unlawful exposure in case you do need it in the future. If this firm do not clean up their act, you should leave - your health is more important than this job. I think a visit to your GP might help to reassure you as to your own health.

Best Wishes,

Helen

[Moonraker1]

I used to work in specialist Health & Safety, but am not medically qualified.

The first thing to do is get an expert to tell you what type of asbestos it is:

The really dangerous one is blue asbestos which was used for insulating steam pipes on power stations, ships & railway engines etc. It was so bad that many dockyard workers who stripped off old asbestos and who sometimes took their work clothes home and hung them in the bedroom wardrobe, caused their partners to sometimes also lose at least 5 years off their life . After the Asbestos Regulations came into force at least 50 years ago, there have been a lot less incidences of asbestosis in UK.

The danger is that the fine strands of asbestos have fish-hook type hairs on them, which, if manage to be inhaled into the lungs, tend to open, and keep open, tiny wounds in the lungs, and hence encourage long-term infections.

White asbestos is only about 10% of above risk, and if any work was carried out using solely a handsaw to cut asbestos reinforced concrete roof panels, then the risk was probably minimal i it was done out in open air, and not in an enclosed space.

Any existing buildings having asbestos sheet roofing, or insulation containing asbestos, HAVE to have it removed by specialist trained personnel.

Having said all that, a few minutes exposure in a calm atmosphere room, to even white asbestos, is only a very insignificant risk of your lungs becoming affected, after such a short exposure. Certainly not worth you worrying about. Most people over 50 would have had 100 times this exposure in their normal life without realising it. Crossing the road is many times more dangerous!

[WheezyAnne]

hse.gov.uk/asbestos/

The above gives more info. Recommend look at Asbestos Awareness Training. Many manual jobs need you to have that now, so could be a good thing to do?

Good advice given from the rest of our gang.

[tamariki]

It's like the bullet you don't here coming that does the damage. Microscopic particles penetrate further into your lungs than dust and they do the damage. I was affected with pleural plaques forty years ago, and have got away with it so far. Many of my friends died from asbestosis, just a matter of luck.

[cory43]

Make sure you always wear a mask your lungs are priceless, anything that looks like asbestos should be left alone until a expert takes a look , but if youv'e got move a pile of dust spray it with a spray bottle of water first to stop any dust kicking up. And if you use cement wear a mask the silica in cement also causes cancer, Thats the cement powder you breath in when mixing it !