We had our old asbestos tiling taken from our basement floor as part of the job a waterproofing company was doing for us. they waterproofed and redid the walls, plus removed the tiling…so we thought. they were supposed to set up containment and get rid of every last speck of it, but when my husband was moving furniture around (what we had down there was moved from section to section as they worked) he uncovered a LOT of dust and cracked tile.
He worked for a good solid hour before realizing where the dust was coming from. I'm terrified that in many years to come he'll have to deal with the aftereffects of this.
Is there any type of test to determine exposure to asbestos, and if any is in the lungs? If so, what can they do about it? I'm not even sure if I need to be concerned because it was short term. If you have any experience or knowledge of this, I'd appreciate it! Thx.
The whole idea of asbestos abaitment is to prevent people like us from getting cancer for asbestos fibers. Prolonges exposure is extremely dangerous. not only should your husband be checked out, but the incompitent asbestos removal contractor should be footing the bills for this and any future asbestos related problems.
it takes more than that i hope or my parents and grandparents would have had problems on acount of it
There are two main dangers from asbestos:
Asbestosis, which damages the lungs, requires exposure to large amounts of the dust over time. This might be seen in miners or asbestos-product factory workers, but is very unlikely in the situation you describe.
Asbestos is also able to cause cancer [a carcinogen], though it is probably no more dangerous than smoking. [BTW, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure is _far_ more dangerous than either alone. If your husband or you smoke, this is another reason to quit.]
Since the FDA considers exposure to _any_ amount of a carcinogen [except aflatoxin] bad, the dust exposure is not good, BUT, considering that it was just for a short time, there is little likelihood of any ill effect.
You might think about legal action against the company that performed the work, if asbestos removal was specifically mentioned in an agreement [or they might contemplate action against you if you had not warned them].
Check with your family doctor, who might suggest a chest X-ray every few years.
Sounds very unprofessional of the company , I find out the procedure the State where you in follows.thats Hazardous material ! There Asbestos in so many things we deal with on regular basis its alarming but I would have to say leaving it alone in the house is pretty harmless.when you demo the area you are throwing that stuff into the air. get it tested ASAP if you
found residue and dust.Kids and Elderly shouldn't be exposed .Hope I helped
There's probably enough data to re-inforce your fears BUT…
…consider how long it took to find out that any "connection" even existed…
I'd be more concerned that a licensed contractor did not do his job very well…
I don't think you have much to worry about. I worked in the stuff for years and would be covered head to toe with it. This was before anyone knew how bad it is.
That was 30 years ago and so far I am fine. I am not telling you that it is not dangerous. I am just saying that a tiny amount that your husband encountered probably won't hurt.
And if the truth were told, schools built in the 50's and 60's all over the country are full of it. it is a big secret nobody talks about.
Rest your mind.
it takes many years of exposure to get hurt
please call your local building enforcement to quell your concerns
Asbestos exposure…how much is harmful?
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