r/asbestoshelpUK

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.

So, I lack expertise in dealing with asbestos and tradies clearly. We had a builder over who accidentally knocked down a wall behind our gyprock wall that was pure asbestos. He did not know it was asbestos.

Basically, while he was working, windows and doors were left open. After he finished demolition, we went in and vaccuumed and noticed dust trailing outside of the room by metres and up on the other side of the doors too.

Anyway, we confirmed suspicions by testint a sample and it was asbestos.

Upon hiring a removalist, who advised verbally that he would make the room safe and clean all surfaces - walls (two rendered painted brick, two gyprock, concrete floor, windows, AC and doors) by vacuuming, wet wiping then spraying a PVA solution.

After the job, the "site" was deemed safe by a licensed asbestos assessor.

Two days later I go in and dry wipe, in case any airborne dust had settler on walls etc. The wipes have sooo much dust on them, like years of dust build up, from the brick walls, gyprock walls and even framing. Mopped the concrete and water was dark brown.

In my mind, should wet wiping and vaccuumint not have gotten rid of dust substantially? And the glue solution supposed to suppress dust down?

If there is heaps of dust - ie turning an electromagnetic wipe completely brown on both sides after wiping 3m squared, does this not mean the vacuuming, wiping and glue solution did not work?

I also found out later that the removalist booked the LAA and only isntructed him to assess the timber framing off of which the asbestos wall was accidentally destroyed and removed off of, nothing else in the room is cleared as safe.

The removalist is saying:

1. How do I even know there is asbestos dust in the dust I wiped? In my mind, the dust flew so far outside, that surely there is asbestos dust on walls in the room combined with normal dust. If there is so much dust still present, the cleaning was inefficient?

2. that the asbestos was on the timber framing so they only cleared that. Verbally they promised to clean and clear for safe habitation, the whole room..

3. the third thing is he had promised to seal up the room safely before coming in to demolish tiny remnants of asbestos and remove and clean the debris. Upon arrival he refused to seal everything, saying it was not possible.

4. he advised he would be part of the team doing the cleaning. On site, he stood outside to "secure the perimeter" rather than doing any removalist works.

Hoping someone can help with the above and get him to come back and complete the work :(

I had left him a good 5 star review before I went back in the room to dry wipe and before we realised from the report that only the timber framing was clear.

I want them to come back and brush vaccum everything and wet wipe after then assess everything as safe.

I am in Australia.

I have this old bookcase that has been stored in an outbuilding. Probably since the 1990s and the bookcase is therefore obviously older as it was likely originally in the home and later relegated to the outbuilding.

It is very damp as can been seen. Does anyone know what the backing material is? I wouldn’t have expected asbestos in a bookcase but it appears they used to put it in everything short of sandwiches.

Thanks in advance.

Peeled wallpaper off the walls in one of my bedrooms and found lath and plaster crumbling away behind. Should I just go ahead and rip it out or do an asbestos survey first?

Pushed down the laths in my ceiling and only then discovered the plaster had been replaced at some point with boarding. I just bought the house but the ceiling predates the previous owner who lived there in 1996.

Unfortunately I only discovered this after bringing the whole ceiling down, any help would be much appreciated.

Doing a kitchen renovation and have these vinyl floor tiles and also ceiling boards. Woried about asbestos.

I’m 23, and live in London, England

I work a couple days a week in my dad’s decorating company. It’s a small firm, 5-10 guys, cash in hand, small scale jobs etc.

I’m a labourer and have little industry knowledge, I’m only really there to help out. Today I was given the task to strip all the wood chip wallpaper off the walls and ceiling in a 1.5m x 1.5m boiler room, using a scraper. It took me about 3/4 hour as the paper was on tight. The door was closed and the dust was everywhere, I had no protective equipment or mask.

After I had finished, one of the guys told me that the panel I had been scraping for the last 4 hours was likely asbestos and that I should be careful. I was absolutely shocked. At first I assumed he was joking but it turns out he was being dead serious. Also a few of the other guys who I worked with had the same suspicion. I was furious for not being told earlier.

I confronted my dad about this after work and he tried to down play the severity of asbestos. He told me; he knew plenty of people who had dealt with asbestos for years and were fine and that even he himself had dealt with it without protective equipment occasionally. He implied that extreme asbestos caution was stirred up by hazardous materials removal companies so they could make more money.

I have two questions.

1. Does this look like asbestos?, it was a ceiling board in a boiler room

2. If it is asbestos, what should I do now?

I accidentally knocked the ceiling with a curtain pole and made a slight mark. An asbestos survey we had recently confirmed that it’s chyrostile but very low risk.

Do I need to seal it or do anything, or leave as is?

Doing an internal garage renovation/conversion and these tiles/panels are on the ceiling. I've got a sample to send off to the testers but wondering what you lot think while I wait? Built around 1985, the panels have a bit of a sparkle to them when light hits them in the right way

I’m staying in a house in Sweden for a month with my baby and husband and (after 2.5 weeks) I’ve just discovered it has asbestos cement cladding all around it (photo attached). We have a week and a half left and I’m feeling very nervous about it now. I’ve never lived with asbestos before as far as I’m aware (although I’m sure I have had it around me unknowingly as I’m a 90s kid from the UK). Is this ok and is there anything I need to be aware of or look out for for us and our baby?

Just to add I’ve noticed a few cracks in it in the stair well but they look old not fresh

I'm genuinely curious. This is at a local mining museum. Would they still use asbestos in these nowadays?

Hi. I live in the UK, house was built between 1950-66

Just been jet washing the garden and worried this raised bit could be asbestos? The flakey stuff mostly, the side bit looks suspect

Any ideas?

Had to break in the home we live temporarily, left keys inside. It’a a really old house.

Any idea this could be asbestos? If not, curious what it is.

I've started peeling off Anaglypta wallpaper from the ceiling and noticed this weird yellowish structural paint underneath it. Does it look like Artex coating for you? Thanks for any help/advice

This is under the floor of my 100 year old house, the system was I think installed in mid/late 80s when the house extension was done. Could this be asbestos?

House was built in 1976/77 and has a painted panel above the porch. Along the front there appears to be a wooden batten but the board behind has nails driven through it in rows. Is this likely to be ACM? If sampling is required what’s the safest way to do so without disturbing it too much and releasing dust?

this is on our garden wall in London and looks similar to the render on the house. should we get it tested or is it just paint/render pealing? it’s a 1930s house but I don’t know when the wall was last done.