Possible Short Term asbestos exposure?
#1
09-15-21, 08:41 AM
Possible Short Term asbestos exposure?
,
hello,
A few days ago I helped a friend take down a wall in his home. It is a 1940’s home. We wore N95 masks and demolished a wall. Lots of dust and debris everywhere. The wall was made of plaster and had weird insulation bits in it. Possibly vermiculite. We were there for about 2-3 hours.
I am worried about asbestos exposure. Is that considered long term exposure? Have I just given myself cancer? I feel so bad that I agreed to help, haven’t slept or eaten well in last 2 days
hello,
A few days ago I helped a friend take down a wall in his home. It is a 1940’s home. We wore N95 masks and demolished a wall. Lots of dust and debris everywhere. The wall was made of plaster and had weird insulation bits in it. Possibly vermiculite. We were there for about 2-3 hours.
I am worried about asbestos exposure. Is that considered long term exposure? Have I just given myself cancer? I feel so bad that I agreed to help, haven’t slept or eaten well in last 2 days
#2
09-15-21, 09:01 AM
Group Moderator
If present that would be short term exposure. Plus, you were wearing masks and you don't even know if there was any asbestos present.
The cancer risk posed by asbestos has been GREATLY exaggerated, generally by lawyers wishing to collect their 50-60% of settlements.
The cancer risk posed by asbestos has been GREATLY exaggerated, generally by lawyers wishing to collect their 50-60% of settlements.
Norm201
voted this post useful.
#3
09-15-21, 10:53 AM
Group Moderator
It's not the external exposure to asbestos that's dangerous..... it's getting it in your lungs.
Wearing masks was a very good idea.
A mask should be worn when working with any construction dust and especially from any type of insulation.
Wearing masks was a very good idea.
A mask should be worn when working with any construction dust and especially from any type of insulation.
#4
09-15-21, 04:39 PM
Member
If 2-3 hours of exposure wearing a mask causes anything, then I was a very lucky guy demoing and scraping a 120 year-old Victorian for months, that tested positive for lead paint, without a protective mask 30 years ago, with no health issues today.
#5
02-16-22, 02:49 PM
It takes years after inhalation of a lot of asbestos fibers. The people who were most affected were those who worked in places like shipbuilding during WW2, when they sprayed a slurry of the stuff on pipes in ships for insulation. THEY got asbestosis, with or without cancer. A huge contributing factor was asbestos exposure with smoking. They got lung cancer way more than smokers without asbestos inhalation, or asbestos exposure in non-smokers. The risk is low by inhaling some fibers from old ceiling tiles with asbestos or from brake linings, but the latter was an issue for long term brake mechanics with no breathing protection.
Relax. Many of us have had incidental exposure, including my grandfather who died of something at 100.5, and my father who died at 95.
Relax. Many of us have had incidental exposure, including my grandfather who died of something at 100.5, and my father who died at 95.
