Any Advice - I was exposed to Asbestos !

[mirz2000]

Just to back things up a bit, how did you come to discover that your ceiling contained asbestos? Was it tested with a reliable source? I ask because some people assume that all popcorn ceilings contain asbestos, when many in fact don't.

 

[Peace]

Just to back things up a bit, how did you come to discover that your ceiling contained asbestos? Was it tested with a reliable source? I ask because some people assume that all popcorn ceilings contain asbestos, when many in fact don't.

My point was that you will never hear from the OP again.

Trust me. Would I lie ?



I was exposed over a 3 year period while serving as an engineer/firefighter/boiler technician in the United States Navy onboard a frigate that had at least 20 tons of asbestos in it.

About 20 some odd years later my left lung filled up with blood tinged pleural fluid. It's called a pleural effusion .


I breathed it. I swallowed it and I walked around in it while fixing and operating things in the boiler room.
Without any protection.

You can read all about what this stuff does by going here :

http://www.mesothel.com

I use that link because I was diagnosed ( wrongly it turns out ) with Mesothelioma a few years ago and this man was an attorney I spoke with. Very helpful and NOT out after money. His brother died from Meso and he's devoted his life to fixing the problem.

 

[Shrink]

As a person with Asbestosis I can tell you it takes a long time for asbestos disease to show up in any radiology film and it is usually around 20-30 years before the disease manifests itself.

Doing a baseline breath test and X-Rays is a good idea though.

As far as treatment the only thing available is palliative care.

There is no "treatment" to stop any damage other than not being around it.

I very sorry to hear that you have gained your knowledge as you have.

I wish you the best...

 

[jknight8907]

You're probably fine. Dust laying on the ground (btw, you're a slob. How can you walk past piles of dust for 6 months and not decide to clean?) will not hurt you. Asbestos is only harmful if you're actually breathing the dust, and even then it's going to take more than a small amount to hurt you. You probably breathed some but not enough to do any damage. Quit worrying about it.

 

[Astroboy907]

It seems your cat probably got the brunt of it. Any signs and symptoms of asbestos manifesting there?

And I mean, seriously, it doesn't take 6 months to dust off a cat.

 

[Huntn]

Whether the story is true or not, what is kind of pathetic is not the story, but that the bulk of the responses involved lawyers and law suits...not the first thing being to go to a doc for evaluation of lung function, and evaluation of any damage to the lungs.

It seems the first response to almost anything is to suggest legal action...

Well it could be a generated health issues due to a legal issue. I'd say visit the doctor and the lawyer and do some surfing online for both issues.

 

[Peace]

You're probably fine. Dust laying on the ground (btw, you're a slob. How can you walk past piles of dust for 6 months and not decide to clean?) will not hurt you. Asbestos is only harmful if you're actually breathing the dust, and even then it's going to take more than a small amount to hurt you. You probably breathed some but not enough to do any damage. Quit worrying about it.

This is patently false.

ANY amount can cause a rare form of cancer called Mesothelioma.

There have been thousands of people die from just a small exposure. That's what makes asbestos so dangerous.

 

[jknight8907]

This is patently false.

ANY amount can cause a rare form of cancer called Mesothelioma.

There have been thousands of people die from just a small exposure. That's what makes asbestos so dangerous.

If that were true, anyone over about 45 would have mesothelioma. Until the late 70's it was being used EVERYWHERE, and is still around. Only about 2,500 - 3,000 people are diagnosed with it each year. While obviously possible to get it from a tiny exposure, it would be very, very rare. Even cancer.gov acknowledges this:

Everyone is exposed to asbestos at some time during their life. Low levels of asbestos are present in the air, water, and soil. However, most people do not become ill from their exposure. People who become ill from asbestos are usually those who are exposed to it on a regular basis, most often in a job where they work directly with the material or through substantial environmental contact.

There's really nothing a doctor can do at this point. A chest x-ray or a CT scan would show if an abnormalities have developed, but at this early time it would be a waste of effort. Something like a bronchoscopy would indicate if there is asbestos in his lungs, but even that won't tell you anything useful, just that it's there.

 

[Peace]

If that were true, anyone over about 45 would have mesothelioma. Until the late 70's it was being used EVERYWHERE, and is still around. Only about 2,500 - 3,000 people are diagnosed with it each year. While obviously possible to get it from a tiny exposure, it would be very, very rare. Even cancer.gov acknowledges this:



There's really nothing a doctor can do at this point. A chest x-ray or a CT scan would show if an abnormalities have developed, but at this early time it would be a waste of effort. Something like a bronchoscopy would indicate if there is asbestos in his lungs, but even that won't tell you anything useful, just that it's there.

I'm not going to say anymore on this subject except to say you need to do some heavy duty studying. Something I've been doing for 10 years,15 doctors,10 CT scans,a myriad of X-Rays and consults. Not to mention all of the people I know throughout the VA healthcare system I know with Asbestos disease.

It's vary dangerous. stay away from it.

 

[jknight8907]

I'm not going to say anymore on this subject except to say you need to do some heavy duty studying. Something I've been doing for 10 years,15 doctors,10 CT scans,a myriad of X-Rays and consults. Not to mention all of the people I know throughout the VA healthcare system I know with Asbestos disease.

It's vary dangerous. stay away from it.

It's always hard to believe statistical evidence over anecdotal observations when you're emotionally involved.

 

[Plutonius]

I can't believe some of you old timers actually fell for this obvious frivolous thread.


My advice would be stop falling for such silly stuff.

I think most people came to this thread when they incorrectly read that the OP was exposing themselves .

 

[jtara]

Did you have the popcorn ceiling tested? Asbestos was removed from popcorn ceiling materials before they became unpopular. The only way to know is to send a sample to a test lab. Knowing the year of installation is helpful, but doesn't prove anything.

I had my popcorn ceilings removed. I took the sample to the lab myself and had it tested, and it came back negative. I provided the contractor with the test results, and so they did a conventional removal. (Contracters need special certification to do asbestos removal.)

The conventional removal would not have left dust, and so I am skeptical of this story. They cover everything with plastic, spray the ceiling with a fine mist of water, and a few minutes later it comes down easily with a scraper and plops onto the plastic. They roll up the plastic and remove it, leaving no residue in your home.

Asbestos removal procedure would be similar, with additional precautions.