Asbestos, wondering about risk

I wis I knew, joe - Asbestos wasn't a big deal when I was a child.  I helped break up an asbestos roof to a shed some 40 years ago.  Now a CT scan has found 5 nodules on my right lung. PET scan came up undetermined - but who knows?  Good luck - I hope yours is okay, best whsies.

There was a bit of a scare about asbetos a few years ago. And loads of stories about people dying all over the place from mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos fibres. Turned out to be somewhat overblown I think .. with no differentiation made at the time between blue asbestos and white asbestos (the latter being realitively harmless I believe). And even in the case of blue asbestos, the danger was mainly confined to those who worked in industries where they came in contact with the fibres on a daily basis for quite some time. Still, a few people got very rich ripping it out of old buildings across the country, so whats a little scare story where loadsa money is at stake.

Thats not to say that there weren't many people who contracted the lung disease as a result of prolonged exposure to the fibres in the workplace, but the Health and Safety Executive have this to say about those who come across it accidentally:

"People who believe they may have been exposed to asbestos are understandably anxious and concerned about the possible effects on their health. Many cases of inadvertent, short-term exposure to asbestos will most likely have led to minimal exposure to fibres, with little likelihood of any long-term ill health effects."

If you're worried you may have come in contact with 'bad' asbestos, you could always contact the local council and ask them to do a test of the RAF base concerned. I think they are obligated by law to do one. (If they haven't already), but I'm not sure.

And have a word with your doctor who will be infinitely better informed than me and can explain fully what the risks are.

Good luck! (and try not to worry)

Jo

 

Thank you, there may not have even been any there and it would have been the most minimum exposure but I've been looking online and nowhere talks about standing with it for about a minute! It only talks about actively breaking it up so I'm probably worried for nothing, thank you

Hi Joe,

exposure to asbestos over time and as you found in ur research activity breaking it up with no face mask or lung protection is generally what causes lung disease.

if u have no symptoms but you still feel uncertain then by all means check with ur doctor.