Artex in celling diadnosed as asbestos

moonrakerz

WHO tested it ? There are lots of "cowboys" around who tell you that you have asbestos then charge a fortune to remove it when you didn't have it in the first place..........................

muskoka

QUOTE - 'Dont forget until relatively recently car brake pads contained asbestos so there would have been fibres released into the air from worn brake pads. I dont see wide spread asbestos os and other asbestos related conditions affecting whole populations due to this practice. Try and keep this in perspective and not get alarmist.'

I've spent the best part of 35 years working in the Motor Trade, walking in & out of paint ovens, walking around bodyshops/mechanical shops & I figure I've probably inhaled quite a lot of asbestos apart from other stuff & I'm still here & am still here to tell the tale with NO health problems at all.

anotherbaldrick

The critical effect of asbestos is not immediate. The onset of chronic disorder from it is most often in 30 -50 years after exposure range.
Think along, why risk any chance that in the distant future your mind will forcibly go back to some pilchard on a long forgotten web page saying "Oh you do not need to worry about it, It,s all scare mongering".
It will be you that has the problem.
The OP will not have put themselves at risk from what they have done so far, keep it that way.

aboard_epsilon

muskoka wrote: »

QUOTE - 'Dont forget until relatively recently car brake pads contained asbestos so there would have been fibres released into the air from worn brake pads. I dont see wide spread asbestos os and other asbestos related conditions affecting whole populations due to this practice. Try and keep this in perspective and not get alarmist.'

I've spent the best part of 35 years working in the Motor Trade, walking in & out of paint ovens, walking around bodyshops/mechanical shops & I figure I've probably inhaled quite a lot of asbestos apart from other stuff & I'm still here & am still here to tell the tale with NO health problems at all.

Ive heard that it can be 40 years before symptoms can start.

this was in the news the other day

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2011/04/06/public-put-at-risk-by-asbestos-dust-in-wrexham-club-55578-28467590/

feel sorry for the workers ..may be a death sentence for them.

extracts

One worker told how loads of dust was created and the wind blew it outside. It was so thick at times that he could not see his hand in front of him.

I think I have breathed in loads of the fireproofing stuff,” he said.

One of the specialists later told how it was “one of the worst jobs I have seen in terms of asbestos contamination”.

all the best.markj

asbokid

muskoka wrote: »

Dont forget until relatively recently car brake pads contained asbestos so there would have been fibres released into the air from worn brake pads. I dont see wide spread asbestos or and other asbestos related conditions affecting whole populations due to this practice. Try and keep this in perspective and not get alarmist.

I've spent the best part of 35 years working in the Motor Trade, walking in & out of paint ovens, walking around bodyshops/mechanical shops & I figure I've probably inhaled quite a lot of asbestos apart from other stuff & I'm still here & am still here to tell the tale with NO health problems at all.

It's important to distinguish between the various minerals which are known collectively as "asbestos".

Brown asbestos and blue asbestos are both very dangerous. Full Stop. No one is disputing that.

White "asbestos" is essentially harmless. Its proper name is Chrysotile, and that is the type of "asbestos" used in Artex and brake linings.

Furthermore...

Where chrysotile is used in asbestos brake linings, it has been shown that heating the material (as occurs where the brakes are used) causes the chrysotile fibres to alter their chemistry and structure, transforming them into a different mineral: an olivine known as Forsterite (Mg2 Si2 O4).

And Forsterite is also non-carcinogenic.

From here:

epidemiologic data of malignant mesothelioma among auto mechanics clearly demonstrates that auto mechanics do not have an increased risk of malignant mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos fibers from brake linings and clutch facings.

Whew! Panic over! But not so pleasing for the asbestos disposal industry and asbestos-injury lawyers...

asbokid

aboard_epsilon wrote: »

this was in the news the other day

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2011/04/06/public-put-at-risk-by-asbestos-dust-in-wrexham-club-55578-28467590/

That was amosite. i.e. the dangerous brown asbestos.

It's a completely different mineral to chrysotile, the harmless white "asbestos" used in Artex, roofing slates, brake linings, etc.

aboard_epsilon

wasnt saying it was..white brown or blue

it was just news .

all the best.markj

woodbutcher_2

phill99 wrote: »

Why don't you read the WHOLE post and comment on it, rather than commenting about a question you THINK is being asked.

OP:There is an element of paranoia here. The asbestos in artex is a very minimal amount and its is also the safest of the 3 types of asbestos. The chances of you or any one in your house becoming ill as a result is Nil. You have greater chances of becoming ill from the additives in the foodstuffs you eat and the airborne chemicals in the atmosphere.

Why don't you take your head out of your backside.

I did read the whole post and was commenting on the part i knew something about,namely plastering over,as this point was touched on at the end of the post.

Or do you want me to comment on the dangers related to asbestos,even though i am not qualified to do so?

Perhaps i'll just leave it to you as the official "asbestos expert" on the forum.

anotherbaldrick

It concerns me that a lot of discussion on the ongoing subject contains the phrase "NON DANGEROUS WHITE ASBESTOS (Chrysotile) " as if that was a given fact. The product is mined in the USA and Canada and I feel heavily promoted commercially with that title as if it was proven. If you look on the web at independent sources of information on the product you will find that is not so friendly as the marketeers try to make out.

Such as.

Medical Conditions
Mining companies argue that the body can clear chrysotile asbestos fibers from the lungs and that as a result, chrysotile asbestos poses no health risk. In a paper titled "Undeniable Facts about Chrysotile," its proponents claim that not only does chrysotile have less risk than other forms of asbestos, but also that at low exposure levels, it produces no risk at all. Doctors and scientists counter with the statement that all forms of asbestos cause cancer. According to Mesothelioma.com, a site about asbestos-related cancers, doctors say no amount of asbestos of any form is safe. In 2007 Occupation and Environmental Medicine published a follow-up study of chrysotile asbestos textile workers in South Carolina. The doctors and researchers concluded that the study confirmed the findings from previous investigations of increased risk of death from lung cancer and asbestosis and a strong correlation between exposure to chrysotile and mortality from lung cancer and asbestosis.

Removal of Chrysotile
Since the late 1990s chrysotile manufacturers have learned to use chrysotile in such a way that it does not crumble or create dust. The Natural Handyman points out that even the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Association only consider asbestos dangerous when airborne. Thus, encapsulated asbestos is not dangerous and does not require removal.

Where asbestos must be removed, however, a professional must do the job. Do-it-yourself asbestos removal is a bad idea as well as illegal.



Read more: Information on Chrysotile White Asbestos | eHow.co.uk http://www.ehow.co.uk/about_6513591_information-chrysotile-white-asbestos.html#ixzz1J1yAFdvk

nifferwilko

To the OP - I wouldn't be overly worried that you and your family are going to get one of the 4 major diseases linked to asbestos. The evidence base is that most people who have developed these, have had a prolonged exposure to the friable (loose form) of asbestos.
I think the consensus on the board is don't panic, but I would, with two little ones, do as much clearing out of the asbestos as makes you comfortable. In it's solid form, it's harmless, as you can't inhale it, so probably stop scraping and just plaster over the artex as is - as one poster said, it will take more plaster and longer to do, but it's the safest way without releasing any asbestos fibres into the air. And also, make a mental note to not drill through the ceiling.
If it makes you happier to get rid of the carpet, get rid of it. Only you will know what will help you sleep (I mean that in a completely non-patronising way)