Tradesman have scrapped off Artex Ceiling containing Asbestos

[DDangerous]

Hello, I'm really concerned about what a tradesman has done and the potential damage and health implications for my young family.
We had 2 bathrooms renovated (one autumn 2022, one spring 2023) the existing aertex ceilings were scrapped flat and plaster skimmed to make flat.

Naively I had no idea asbestos was a potential issue, and I can only assume the workmen didn't know, didn't care or thought it low risk.

Since watching a YouTube Vid about artexed and asbestos I have had samples tested on other artex ceilings in my home and they have come back positive for low level chrysotile asbestos.

On the days the the ceilings were scrapped they used a large paint scraper to remove the bumps (artex was not dampened) my family were home at the time, nothing special was done with the clean up of the mess other an vacuuming and bagging of debris. The ceilings were skimmed within 48hrs of this happening. Since then the bathrooms have been tiled and painted.

As this has been months since it occurred is there anything proactive I can do, I take it all the damage is done? Could asbestos still be present or would it have dispersed throughout the house by now so impossible to clean or reduce?
I know its hard to say but I'm wracked with worry over this and the damage it has already done to my family, but I'm unsure how to tell how much asbestos would have been released and how much we have breathed in and what I can now do to make sure the kids are okay.

I'm kicking myself for not knowing about it and just assumed what they did was the way you got those modern smooth ceilings.

Any advice on what I can do now to reduce further exposure would be great - thank you.

[Mr Punter]

I don't think there is anything to worry about.  In powdered form it can be hazardous.  For the other ceilings, just skim them, do not sand them.

[MikeGrahamT21]

Chrysotile isn't one to worry over too much, found this in a medical journal online and i'm sure someone on here has said same before:

 

The available data suggest that chrysotile is deposited in the parenchyma but is cleared extremely rapidly, with the vast bulk of fibres removed from human lungs within weeks to months after inhalation

 

Thats not to say it has zero risk, but its the less risky of all asbestos to human health

[ToughButterCup]

Interesting @MikeGrahamT21 : reference please if possible. 

[MikeGrahamT21]

8 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

Interesting @MikeGrahamT21 : reference please if possible. 

of course

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7978985/#:~:text=The available data suggest that,order of years to decades.

[DDangerous]

Thank you - this is reassuring to read. You hear asbestos, and you think the worse. Its hard to get clear advice when most forums link to companies scare mongering you about its affects. Cheers.

[MikeGrahamT21]

Also with it being scraped and not sanded, the asbestos in it is unlikely to have broken free, so even lower risk

[Jilly]

The sleepless night/ mental health  aspect of this has come up before. 
3am in particular does something funny to our brains. Once you’ve established you’ve taken an inadvertent risk, but there is no other action you can take, find ways to mentally move on quickly and stop your brain obsessing. Trying to compartmentalise/ have a ‘cross that bridge if we come to it’ philosophy can help. I find the technique of shrinking a worry into a tiny black and white though helps. 
I read Ranulph Fiennes’s autobiography recently describing how he has vertigo and to get up the North face of Eiger he had to strictly stop his mind running away on its own. Amazing.

[TonyT]

Best get some samples taken and tested to prove either way.

 

asbestos contractors can provide different levels of surveys  have a look at the HSE website for clarity/ correct info.

 

if your house was built after 1999 should be fine as everything was banned by then

[Mattg4321]

The attitude towards asbestos is a bit OTT these days, certainly in relation to other potential dangers such as silica dust and also carcinogens released when working with MDF, both of which nobody seems to give two hoots about. The risk is probably not far off similar though. 
 

Asbestos in things like artex and corrugated roofs is fairly low risk in comparison to blue asbestos in boiler rooms for example, which is high risk. 
 

I’m often hearing of people buying houses lately and being scared by an asbestos survey that has identified asbestos in artex or the bitumen/glue under their flooring. They then have it removed at great expense. Mostly unnecessarily imo. Total overkill. 
 

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by Mattg4321

[markc]

Agree with @Mattg4321 very few people consider the asbestos that was thrown into the atmosphere from train, truck and car brakes and the poor mechanics who blew the dust out with compressed air. The asbestos used to lag boilers and pipework looked rather like rock wool with long fibres and it is these that lodge in the lungs, not the dust like particulate material.

[Alan Ambrose]

>>> is there anything proactive I can do

 

I think the practical answer to this is 'no'. That may sound like cold comfort, but I'm sure you'll agree there's little point in worrying about stuff you can't control now after the fact.

 

FWIW I think the risk is low. I remember scraping some Artex ceilings 30 years ago, and I had no idea it contained asbestos. It doesn't worry me and I concentrate on other risks I can control, like when I'm up a ladder or driving or drinking whisky. (I seldom do all three at the same time, for instance).

[LnP]

I agree the risk is probably low and what's done is done, so no point in worrying.

 

Nevertheless, for the record, I'd like to point out that while some types of asbestos are less hazardous than others, all are dangerous. Many years ago, the guidance differentiated between the different types, but these days, no differentiation is made regarding how to deal with it in a safe way. Blue (crocidolite) and brown (amosite) asbestos were banned in 1985. By 1999, the manufacture and supply of all types of asbestos had been banned. But there is a lot of it about, and if you're involved in building work, you need to know how to keep yourself safe.

 

The HSE have an excellent web site on the topic - link below. The guidance deals specifically with textured coatings. You shouldn't just set to it with a scraper. I've attached the two relevant guidance notes.

 

Best not to disturb the textured coating and as mentioned above, just skim over it.

 

a28.pdf. a0.pdf

Asbestos Essentials

[Mike]

I agree that it's not worth worrying over. For future info it's worth knowing that you can buy Artex removal gels that prevent dust from forming, as well as making it easy to scrape it off.

[DDangerous]

Great stuff - thank you all for taking the time to reply. Feel a lot better about it all today. 

[Alan Ambrose]

Actually just remembering back to when I scraped off my own Artex - well the bumpy bits at least: It was all really the lumps / stringy bits that came off - there was next to no dust. It's the dust if anything that'll get into your lungs, the lumps certainly wouldn't - well unless you try to snort it.