Would I be at risk of mesiotheloma/asbestosis disease?
I was cleaning out my grandads shed, because he is ill and has the disease mesiotheloma, and we moved some stuff that may have contained or is asbesti...
I was cleaning out my grandads shed, because he is ill and has the disease mesiotheloma, and we moved some stuff that may have contained or is asbestis. Plus, we found out that there is asbestis in the walls of the shed, and that if the walls were knocked or vibrated, it would disturb the asbestis fibres within. So, what im wondering and im quite worried about, is would i be at risk of breathing in these asbestos fibres, and developing a related cancer to asbestosis or something?
Firstly, I guess you are worried, due to the fact that your grandad has Mesothelioma, the chance is and I am taking a guess here, that your grandad worked either in the building industry, could be general building, carpentry, electrics or plumbing, or maybe building or working on ships, as these were and still are those most at risk from asbestos related illnesses. The risk to you is therefore quite low, but is always best to be careful.
The risk from asbestos materials depends a lot on what type of material you are dealing with. Being a shed it is most probable that the material the shed is made from is asbestos cement and is a low risk material. I’m not sure where you are from but here in the uk, asbestos cement is classed as a non licenced material because of its low risk. Because the shed is at your grandads house and not in a workplace you could remove the asbestos cement yourself. Here is a link on the Uk health and safety executive website which tells you the best way to remove the material yourself. http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a14.pdf
If you want to know if the material is asbestos cement you could take a sample and have it tested or get a company to take a sample for you. I would recommend having a sample taken.
If the material is not asbestos cement it would be safer to have it removed by a licenced contractor, or equivilent depending on what country you are in. If you have the material tested the company who does this will be able to give you more advice.
I work in the asbestos industry as an asbestos consultant so you can be sure the information I have given you is correct.
You are at low risk, very low risk. the people most at risk are exposed daily, for many years, or are older people who have weakened immune systems.
There are companies you can hire to clean out all the asbestos so it will be safe to clean out the shed, or just destroy everything.