Possible asbestos in fireplace surround
I took this apart without even considering asbestos. It was only later I started spiralling.
There are limited records about the house but we believe it’s 1960-1980’s build. We’re in the UK.
From googling, the surround looks to be 80’s design and I read that the mortar between the decorative bricks could be mixed with asbestos to help with thermal expansion and heat resistance.
I did the whole thing without a mask as there was very little dust (the mortar was very brittle so a few knocks with a chisel was enough to be able to move the bricks and stone slabs).
I have sprayed everything with water now and we have asbestos testing kits on the way. How worried should I be?
This room separates our kitchen from the rest of our house. Im currently an odd combination of being terrified this is going to mean death and pretending there’s no issue so I don’t need to block the room off.
Spiralling probably covers it.