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Who's ever done this? Asbestos horror story

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Jock Spanners

Jock Spanners

Plumbers Arms member
Plumber
Gas Engineer
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Hi Guys,

I'm sitting here beating myself up again. I got my big hole saw out to drill a ceiling for a flue today. It was in the old airing cupboard and wasn't cutting very quickly so I had to stand on the stepladder and get up near it to get some extra leverage. I thought it was just the lath above but then I realised to my horror that I'd been drilling asbestos cement. I'd had my head about a foot away with no mask on. It looks like it was applied as render or somehow stuck to the lath above it. I did something similar once before in a bathroom. So now I'm worrying about mesothelioma and wondering how many other plumbers have accidentally given themselves a face full of asbestos dust.

Jock
 
A lot of us have been accidently working at asbestos products I am sure.
It is a lesson to have an expert test the area first and always wear dusk masks.
Wasn't that long ago asbestos was still being used.
Let us hope the risk is very low of endangering our health with such short term exposures to asbestos of an unknown type.
 
Jock Spanners said:
Hi Guys,

I'm sitting here beating myself up again. I got my big hole saw out to drill a ceiling for a flue today. It was in the old airing cupboard and wasn't cutting very quickly so I had to stand on the stepladder and get up near it to get some extra leverage. I thought it was just the lath above but then I realised to my horror that I'd been drilling asbestos cement. I'd had my head about a foot away with no mask on. It looks like it was applied as render or somehow stuck to the lath above it. I did something similar once before in a bathroom. So now I'm worrying about mesothelioma and wondering how many other plumbers have accidentally given themselves a face full of asbestos dust.

Jock
Click to expand...
I have done the exact same thing about 20 years ago. It was a soffit board and some (expletive required), had fitted PVC soffits and fascias over the top of asbestos cement. I was merrily drilling away with no mask on and my face and clothes were covered in it.
It frightened the life out of me when I realised what it was.

It taught me a lesson though. You never know what lies beneath.
You never know what idiot has been before.

Scary moment though isn't it?
The Heart rate, the beads of sweat!!
 
I believe you'd have to be statistically very unlucky if you only experience the odd rare and brief exposure. The odds are still on your side if exposed regularly, but much less so. I smoked for 20 years and still regularly drink heavily so that's likely a greater risk to me. It's all a roll of the dice in the end.
 
From the little I know about it the one you must avoid is the blue asbestos and again as far as I know that was hardly used in anything we come up against .
But yes agree not a nice thing to discover .
I have broken up 3 asbestos garages as a teenager grafting for some pocket money , and strangely I have just been diagnosed with a lung problem, but the consutant says its nothing to do with my misspent youth . Lol
 
Old airing cupboard are a favourite or above boilers due to the fire resistant properties
 
Just be overly cautious with anything you are not sure of.

I know of a couple of plumbers who have died from mesothelioma.
Mind you, in their day, all flues were asbestos and they cut it with angle grinders.
Come to think of it they also did asbestos roofing, which was also cut with angle grinders.

Then again I know of many plumbers who did exactly the same thing and have had no issues - yet
 
I did have a scare with an artex ceiling removal job once. The material was not tested because they believed it had gone up after the time asbestos was banned for such uses. I did have a disposable dust mask on and I brought the ceiling down bit by bit with a claw hammer. Halfway through the job I was told they'd got dates wrong and I had to stop as it may have indeed contained asbestos. Material was sent for testing and came back safe but it was a worrying week whilst I wondered if I'd inhaled asbestos dust/fibres. I was much more cautious after that.
 
Thanks guys. I've calmed down a bit now. I've been back today and it appears that all the upstairs ceilings of this very large, old house are made of it. I've sent it off to be tested but I'm fairly certain it's asbestos. That'll be quite a problem when they come to sell it.
It's comforting to think that not every smoker gets lung cancer so I might be okay. We all know someone who's ninety odd and smoked all his life.
 
Mate I have done loads of asbestos training with work. From what I gather you have to have quite a high level of exposure to develop asbestosis.

When we did the training we were all crapping ourselves because me and most of my colleagues have done something like you said at least once or twice over the years.

You would have to be pretty unfortunate to get it from the odd exposure now and then.

That said it can take 25 years to develop so im sure we will all find out eventually!
 
I'm fifty five now and I'll be amazed if I live another 25 years ! If I don't slow down it'll be a heart attack that finishes me off.
 
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