Artex/asbestos advice please

Hi, I hope this is ok to post in general DIY as I couldn't find anywhere else to put it.

Just after some advice from people in the know about artex and / or asbestos.

Several years ago (between 4 and 8 I reckon - I can't quite pinpoint when it was exactly) I scraped off from artex from the ceiling in a bay window of my previous house. I only did a small patch (maybe 25cm square at most) but gave up because it was damaging the plaster underneath so I knew even if I took it all off the bit underneath would look rubbish. My other half then attempted the same in a couple of other areas and came to the same conclusion so we gave up and bought something to cover over it. Obviously at the time we had no idea that artex could contain asbestos. This was in an Edwardian house so obviously could have been done at any time and there for may or may not be asbestos containing.

Obviously that has been done now and there is no point in us worrying about it because we can't do anything now EXCEPT I am concerned about the possibility of fibres still hanging about years later as I also know now that a domestic vacuum cannot be used to clean them up. We have actually moved house recently but what are the chances of fibres being present on my furniture (sofa, bed mattress etc). Is it sensible to change these or is that waaaaay over the top. We have since had children so I don't want them to be exposed to asbestos due to our previous DIY naivety!

Would very much appreciate advice/opinions from those in the know

Given what you say about not even being sure of the presence of asbestos, I would say you are worrying unnecessarily. The odds of any harm being done must be incalculable.

The worry is totally excessive for an infinitesimally small risk of contamination. Even if you changed everything you own, would you worry about whether the replacements might have been "contaminated" from the factory or shop during its production?
How much risk do you have to ignore during your normal living, when going into factories, schools etc etc/?

Seriously, if this sort of thing is niggling you on other subjects and causing this level of concern, have you considered seeking advice from a GP on anxiety?

Unfortunately have read a lot of scary stuff about asbestos on the interweb (I like to think reputable sources

So, worse case scenario it was asbestos, could it still be hanging around on my furniture. Or would it have dissipated so much in that amount of time that there would be no more asbestos fibres than one would expect to find in a normal sample of ambient air anyway?

Thinking of the air around a former asbestos factory and what that has contributed to the ambient air I reckon that your relative to contribution could not be measured nor any trace found on your furnishings.
Don't forget that asbestos was already only a small part of the artex and was partly retained by the inert components, so any loose fibres would be few if any.

OhDearyMe said:

Unfortunately have read a lot of scary stuff about asbestos on the interweb (I like to think reputable sources

So, worse case scenario it was asbestos, could it still be hanging around on my furniture. Or would it have dissipated so much in that amount of time that there would be no more asbestos fibres than one would expect to find in a normal sample of ambient air anyway?

Click to expand...

You are looking for an answer no one give you without microscopic examination of everything you own. Probably theoretically then yes, but as everyone has already said in reality you are, to be frank, spending your time worrying & thinking about dangers that are much less likely to wipe out you & your family than a double decker bus crashing through your window is.

Every house has asbestos in it. Car brake pads used to be made of asbestos. When they wore down the dust blew into the air and into your loft. It's in there today. Right now, just waiting for you.

OMG! I need to clean out my loft now.
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Oh hang on, I havn't got a loft lol

A plumber fixing a leak for the m.i.l recently was saying her ceiling was of the age to have asbestos in the artex & that we need to get it removed professionaly.

Oh yeah! I think I'll just be fixing the hole from the leak & repainting the ceiling.

They recently tore down a 20 storey block of flats in Glasgow that was full of asbestos. There are brand new executive flats across the road and about 70m either side of them - so they sprayed a powerful jet of water onto the rubble while tearing it down with machines. Dust still went everywhere and was blown around the estate, into the windows of the flats, onto the clothes of the people walking around etc. I'd say the risk you're facing is imagined, which is hopefully reassuring for you.