Hello deedee

I really would not worry about this.

The risk from asbestos diseases really are with those with long term, occupational exposures.

Your exposure (such as it might have been) won’t qualify as dangerous in those terms.

I’m no expert, as you will see if you see my contributions on here, although I have read pretty thoroughly online. But I think that those who know more than I do will confirm what I say.

best wishes to you 

Ben 

Hi Deedee. 

Short term exposure is harmless. 

When i was about seven teen my father decided to build a garage metal frame with asbestos couragated sheets of course they weren't right size so my father got me to cut them down with a electric grinder so here was me in a cloud of dust happily working away for three days 8 hours a day and drilling holes. To bolt the panels on.

That was over 50 years ago, i do have cancer but nothing to do with asbestos. So please don't worry about it. 

Billy. 

As others have said, the risk from a single event is very low. There are some asbestos fibres in the atmosphere, naturally released by geological processes, in every breath we breathe.

Also, I had a similar issue with an old pipe from a boiler replacement and suspected asbestos. I had an asbestos survey done of the house (£450) and it turned out that it was not asbestos after all.

Thank you Ben. The more I think about it the more I fear we have been exposed to a lot more as we were living here whilst walls were being cut, boiler stripped and pipes cut including stripping walls and ceilings ourselves. 

I really do pray it doesn't effect us.

I have had 4 days now of reallly bad thoughts and just not been able to sleep, eat or do anything.

Hopefully this will turn out to be nothing but it's very scary.

Thank you.

Thank you Billy.

I pray it turns out to be nothing.

Thinking of you, sorry to hear about your diagnosis. 

Thank you Roger

Wish we had some survey done, we didn't know anything about it. Then it could have all been removed safely.

Just praying that nothing will happen now

Hi - I think you need to put this out of your mind unless you are still worried about ongoing asbestos issues. It is in the past. You can do nothing to change that.

Now please think how many people have done what you have not just once but multiple times in the past and also how many have worked in a much greater capacity with these materials every hour of every day over long periods. Take a look at the statistics on asbestos. Where are all the cases to back up your fears? They aren't there. If they were, there would be millions more cases. So in an ideal world maybe you would have decorated differently. But hey, so many of us have done these things. I took up an absestos floor, have had family members cut into asbestos, played with asbestos - lots of it - as a child. There was so much around. Are we all panicking ourselves silly. No! As Billy said we accept it and put it to the back of our minds. The people who should be worried are those who worked really closely with these materials most days over many years or in an environment where the fibres were present every day of their working lives. There is nothing you can do about whatever you have done. So if I were you I would not let worries eat me up. Try and enjoy life again. Honestly you are so not alone. There are millions and millions who have done what you did. And a lot worse. Take care - I worried like you for a short while. Then I said to myself what's done is done, so forget it and move on. Life became enjoyable again. I hope it will for you too soon. Sending love and hugs xx I should add perhaps that there are stringent rules about asbestos to protect the people removing it as they would be exposed potentially over decades and decades (not a one-off house or job but multiple exposures). Similarly if it is present in workplaces etc it is affecting people every day over many years. At least the asbestos is gone now. If it was there. You didn't get a survey so don't know. No point in thinking the worst. As Roger said you can think it is asbestos when it isn't. Get a survey done anytime in the future if you are doing up an old place. Please please try and enjoy life again! xx

Thank you so much [@sunscared]‍ . I appreciate all your words , which I hope to take and move on. I also have a baby to think about which I was unable to look after for the last 4 days so my husband had to take time off to look after our baby as I was in a state.

Thank you, praying for nothing to happen xx

Ps appreciate the hugs need plenty at the moment x

Hi - oh it sounds like you are the same sort of age when I got myself into a mega-tizz about the same issue. Nothing has happened to me many years on. Given my age we were exposed to asbestos far more than you could possibly have been. Also I did more than one decorating project! As did many others. Please enjoy that lovely baby of yours. Love xx

Just wanted to add that personally I have only heard of one friend of a friend who died of an asbestos related condition – they were well into their 90s and had worked with asbestos over a long period. No one else in my circle has had anything bad happen to them with regard to asbestos despite all the crazy decorating. So worrying will just eat up life that is to be enjoyed. I wish you and your family all the best. I've got grandchildren now xx