Hi,
A few years ago I had my garage roof taken down by builders who rebuilding the garage. They were corrugated white asbestos sheets and they stacked them in my garden.
I rang the local council who said to put them in double bags and bring them to their waste tip where they would dispose of them. the next day without thinking too much about it, I started breaking the sheets up (outside in the garden) – having read much more about asbestos since, I realise this was an inappropriate thing to do.
As I didn't have a face mask on, I am concerned about how much I may have been exposed to the asbestos. It took about three hours to bag the sheets – can anyone shed any light on the risk level?
Thanks,
NS
Well you were outside so wind would have blown most of the fibers away and I think it's long term exposure.
I've breathed in tons of asbestos and i'm not the most sensible person but you should be fine!
since abestos clings to your lungs, a small amount of damage very minimal would of been done.
Since you do not do this often, I would not worry about it.
It seems more like prolonged exposure is the culprit…probably one day of exposure your lungs threw it off
Thankfully the bodies natural defenses will have most likely cleared any fibers that you inhaled, i.e. through coughing and (macrophages) macrophages are part of the body's disease-fighting immune system, that normally engulf small particles in the lung. therefore you would be considered to be extremely unfortunate if you developed an asbestos related disease such as asbestosis or mesothelioma.
The highest percentage that do develop an asbestos related disease are those that have worked with asbestos for many years, i.e. through their employment – carpentry, plumbing, etc.
However, this does not mean to say that people should ignore the potential hazards of asbestos, and always seek expert advice before attempting to disturb it, i.e – cutting, drilling, sanding etc. As this is when the asbestos releases the most fibers in the air where they can be inhaled.
Hope this clarifies a few worries for you. please check out the link for interesting articles on asbestos.
Regards,
Ann.
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