Asbestos (chrysolite) in artex ceiling

aetbaar

Hi all

I know this has been discussed before and I have read the various posts from what seems to be a common problem

I have a 1979 built house with artex ceilings - the one with little icicle style dots everywhere - I have had a numbered of them plastered over already as they looked unpleasant

I recently was planning to do some work to knock through a wall in two rooms where the artex is still there and thought I would check to see if they contained asbestos as someone told me that there may be - it came back positive for chrysolite which I understand is one of the lower risk ones and contained in many homes built pre 1999

It worried me initially as over the last few years I have drilled holes for spotlights into a number of rooms not always wearing a mask and inevitably would have inhaled some of the fibres

Depending on who you ask this is either a very small concern (i.e bigger risks out there from drinking smoking, eating unhealthy food etc. ) to others that say this is not good and could have done some long term damage

Either way not much I can do about that now but had a few questions that people on here may be able to help with

1. Where I have drilled spotlight holes I had hoovered up the mess initially with a separate hoover I keep in the garage as didn't want it ruining my main hoover. should I now dispose of this hoover or just replace filter?
2. The carpet in the room I drilled the holes may have some fibres in them still - would these have been removed by the hepa hoover or should I remove carpets to be sure and replace?
3. where I fitted the spotlights there is obviously exposed circular edges around the hole under the spotlight rim - is this a concern from more airborne fibres and should I paint over it? this would require pulling out the spotlight and aggravating the artex again so would rather leave alone or just get a professional to replaster the whole ceiling
4. with the room I want to knock the wall through in then this will likely disturb some of the artex and ceiling when builders put in accro's etc - should I get the ceiling removed first by HSE professionals that deal with asbestos or just the area near the wall and then get the rest plastered over to reduce costs
5. anything else I should be doing now I have found this out - I plan to have a thorough clean of all rooms with protective gear in case there are still some remnants of this stuff - although in all bar one room I have replaced the carpets anyway

I would never have though to check if someone hadn't told me about this and would have gone my whole life not knowing - who knows if it would have made any difference?

also I have some of this in my garage and there have been leaks in the past and some of it has sagged and fallen off - I assume this is something I should get the insurance company in for and would be covered to remove properly?

sorry for all the questions - any help and advice would be appreciated

I did speak to one of the UKs leading testing providers who also provide services in removal advice and care and they assured me it was very very low risk and only very small amounts are normally found in artex and it really is nothing to worry about- that did give some assurance

Thanks in advance

Alfrescodave

[I]I did speak to one of the UKs leading testing providers who also provide services in removal advice and care and they assured me it was very very low risk and only very small amounts are normally found in artex and it really is nothing to worry about- that did give some assurance.[/I]

You already have the answer. You are overthinking this.

stator

As it's a low risk, if it were me (and I'm not qualified) I would use a HEPA filtered hoover to clean any areas you think there might be dust, then throw away the bag and HEPA filter whilst wearing a suitable safety mask. Then clean your hoover and the area around it with a different hoover and again throw away the bag and filter. Then I would forget about it and get on with my life.



If you are really worried then you could hire a proper "Class H" hoover and use that instead.

that

Another way would be use use a wet and dry carpet shampooer.

I live in London, and have diesel cars offer a bigger threat.

aetbaar

Thanks for the replies - I did another hoover with a hepa filter wearing a mask and disposed of it after to ensure any traces are removed

I will obviously be more careful in future - there is lots of conflicting advice out there on this - some very serious and some a bit more relaxed about it

I also had a leak in the garage and some of the inside ceiling came down - the plasterboard with artex - most was cleared up but there is still some of the paint and artex on the floor and on some of the items in there like ladders, bikes etc - should i get this professionally cleaned by an asbestos specialist or is that overkill and should i just get PPE overalls, mask and gloves and do it myself - also for the bikes, ladder and some garden furniture can i use a jet wash to wash these down and get rid of any traces of asbestos and then dry and keep or these need to be disposed of or professionally treated?


also as the floor is dusty with the roof that came off should i use a normal hepa hoover to clean up or a wet and dry vac perhaps - dont really want to sweep too much as this will cause a lot of dust and some of the asbestos particles to go airborne

final question - i had a few quotes from asbestos companies to remove some artex ceiling in my utility as i am having the all knocked through - i have looked at some national companies and local ones and prices vary a lot - all seem to offer to seal the place use ppe and negative pressure environment as well as type h vaccum etc but is there anything hat i should look out for specifically in terms of accreditation?

PhilE

1. Where I have drilled spotlight holes I had hoovered up the mess initially with a separate hoover I keep in the garage as didn't want it ruining my main hoover. should I now dispose of this hoover or just replace filter?

Unless the hoover is H rated, that's one step above hepa, it can't deal with asbestos and will just blow it back into the room.


2. The carpet in the room I drilled the holes may have some fibres in them still - would these have been removed by the hepa hoover or should I remove carpets to be sure and replace?

A hepa hoover can deal with lead dust, but not asbestos. A H rated hoover can deal with asbestos, but the problem with asbestos is that it lingers in the air as opposed to settling. Saying that, your dealing with low content asbestos and probably have nothing to worry about. Get an air test to make sure. Cheaper than replacing carpets.

3. where I fitted the spotlights there is obviously exposed circular edges around the hole under the spotlight rim - is this a concern from more airborne fibres and should I paint over it? this would require pulling out the spotlight and aggravating the artex again so would rather leave alone or just get a professional to replaster the whole ceiling

Polyfilla or sealent. 2 coats of paint on top of the polyfilla.

4. with the room I want to knock the wall through in then this will likely disturb some of the artex and ceiling when builders put in accro's etc - should I get the ceiling removed first by HSE professionals that deal with asbestos or just the area near the wall and then get the rest plastered over to reduce costs

If your going to knock through the wall, just get rid of the artex and be done with it.

5. anything else I should be doing now I have found this out - I plan to have a thorough clean of all rooms with protective gear in case there are still some remnants of this stuff - although in all bar one room I have replaced the carpets anyway

You could go over the room with a H rated hoover (Numatic do a good one) plus the walls. Lightly vacuum the ceiling, but don't touch the vacuum to the ceiling. Wear a PP3 rated mask while doing so. Wash your clothes twice after, then wash the machine empty. Then wash yourself.


I'm not a pro, so do check in with a pro!

PhilE

stator wrote: »

As it's a low risk, if it were me (and I'm not qualified) I would use a HEPA filtered hoover to clean any areas you think there might be dust, then throw away the bag and HEPA filter whilst wearing a suitable safety mask. Then clean your hoover and the area around it with a different hoover and again throw away the bag and filter. Then I would forget about it and get on with my life.



If you are really worried then you could hire a proper "Class H" hoover and use that instead.

Only a Class H hoover can deal with asbestos, a HEPA hoover will deal with lead paint dust but not asbestos. This from HSE...

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/em4.pdf

Saying that, the article says 'A Class H vacuum is not mandatory for non-licensed work.'
Artex is classed as non licensed.

Again, check with a pro to make sure.