Asbestos broken up in the garden can this one exposure cause lung cancer?

The builder who took a shed down for me started breaking up the Asbestos sheets from my shed if i knew he was going to do this I would have stopped him but it was to late. So this was out in the garden and then I was told by my neighbour if i breathe in 1 single Fibre i could have lung cancer in the next 25yrs, so this has scared the life out of me. Just wondering if it would be a threat if it was out in the garden?

Don't worry, this one exposure won't do you any harm.

"Asbestos exposure becomes a health concern when high concentrations of asbestos fibers are inhaled over a long time period.[19] People who become ill from inhaling asbestos are often those who are exposed on a day-to-day basis in a job where they worked directly with the material. As a person's exposure to fibers increases, because of being exposed to higher concentrations of fibers and/or by being exposed for a longer time, then that person's risk of disease also increases. Disease is very unlikely to result from a single, high-level exposure, or from a short period of exposure to lower levels."

There is more than one sort of asbestos and if you used a reputable builder he should of known what he was doing and would of included the price of testing and removal which it sounds like he didn't. then you will need to pay for the area to be checked and all traces of the asbestos removed as yes it could be a health risk.

Well that's a load of rubbish what your neighbor told you. it takes prolonged exposure to asbestos to cause cancer. Remember when almost everything was constructed using at least a few asbestos components? if what your neighbor told you were true, we'd all have cancer.

Don't disturb it. That makes it easier to inhale. and you most likely wont, unless if you like sleep in your garden every day for 10 years or you roll around in it or something I don't imagine you would do.

yes. asbestos intake can increase the risk of any type of cancer. sorry to tell you. i had an asbestos leak in my school. it was like that for years before anyone knew about it :s

Don't worry about it. you get more asbestos exposure from brake linings due to stop and go traffic in the city than you do from this event.

Hi, I have worked as an asbestos analyst for over 5 years. The level of risk to you is dependent on how much debris remains in your garden and what the original material was. if, as I suspect, it was cement paneling then the risk is very low. Part of my job is to run air monitoring during asbestos removals. The amount of fibres released from cement in an outdoor environment is very low. Granted, the buffoon who broke up your shed didn't follow approved methods and probably released more fibres as a result but unless you were standing down-wind of him whilst he did so, you won't have been exposed. Any fibres will now have been dispersed by the wind. Keep away from the immediate area and you should defenitely arrange to have any debris removed by a competent person but don't lose any sleep over it.
As for the 1 asbestos fibre being able to kill you – just like radiation, there is a "background level" of asbestos in the environment and everyone will have inhaled untold numbers of fibres over their lifetime. So that 1 fibre was probably already in your body long before your shed was removed.

Hello – Serious answer.

I do a lot of research into asbestos and would like to offer you some reassurance here. Roofing material for garages and out buildings are made up of cement and contain 10 -15% of asbestos. this amount of asbestos is relatively small compared with a lot of asbestos products that contain 45 – 100%!.

The fact that you have broken up the asbestos outside and not in a confined area (indoors) would also lessen your chance of inhaling a concentrated amount of the fibres and dust.

Although you have broken all the guidelines regarding removing asbestos safely – I.e. using asbestos removal contractors – your chances of developing an asbestos related disease is very slim.

The best thing to do now is to ensure that the asbestos is disposed of safely – i.e. ring your local council – as dumping it is illegal.

Asbestos is a health hazard but your chance of developing an asbestos related disease is based on the following certain criteria:

1/ Length of exposure
2/ Type of asbestos (blue and brown is worse than white)
3/ Percentage of asbestos in the broken/disintegrating material
4/ Environment of exposure – closed/open.

I am confident that you are your neighbours are not at risk of developing an asbestos related disease – but in the future, I strongly suggest that you adhere to the HSE (health and safety executive) regulations concerning asbestos management and removal.

Kind regards,

Ann.

Please visit my website for more info re. the hazards of asbestos.

Sorry to say that any exposure to asbestos carrys a risk and any fool who says otherwise is acting irresponsibly. some people can eat peanuts others it would kill, some are allergic to stings others are not. I have worked extensively with different grades and types of asbestos and am acutely aware that any amount can have a reation to people. Asbestos is a rock and under magnification is hook like in appearance and the smaller the particle size the easier it is to inhail. The builder who dismantled your building should be prosecuted by the environment agency Asbestos removal costs this country millions a year if it were that insignificant then listening to the other people on here you would believe that it carries an insignificant risk why does the removal and disposal cost so much if it is that harmless. I know of many people who have died due to asbestos related illnesess and they are not all octogenarians. Underestimate the significance of your situation at your own risk. I would be suing the builder for breach of health and safety regulations as a minimum enforcing a clean up of the affected area. I know it sounds overkill and the likelyhood that there will be any significant issues relating to the situation is unlikely however with attitudes like some people I have read here, they are the same types who infer that global warming is not an issue and the atmosphere will take billions of tons more cfc before the effects will be felt FOOLS. Remember the old saying people look after the pennies and the pounds…….. get it. breaking up old asbestos fibre items is the worse thing that he could have done. Don't be too alarmed but do be concered as this is not the action of a resposible person and how often has he done the same thing.

Asbestos broken up in the garden can this one exposure cause lung cancer?