Recycled Type 1 crushed Hardcore - Asbestos worries. Help.

[Danieluk37]

Hello, Having serious health concerns with asbestos, and need to ask the experts here,(In truth, probably need re-assuring) if you have any concerns with asbestos contamination in recycled hardcore Type 1 crushed purchased from a recycle hardcore company, so not a random.

I laid 6 tons of this and never wore a mask (Foolish I know!!) and breathed a lot of dust, but now had a daunting thought! what if there was asbestos in that crushed Type 1 hardcore!??? Not slept for days with worry. Stupidly googled, and came across one firm that was fined for allowing contaminated hardcore! that sent me into panic mode. Wondering if anybody else has this concern or knowledge about how safe it is? I have spoken to my GP, about my anxiety and also the risks (if there were any) and he said, if there was any contaminates, which he does not believe there would be, it would be short exposure. That worried me more. Appreciate your time. THanks, Daniel.

 

[EddieM]

It is vanishingly unlikely there is anything to worry about. I suppose the only way to be absolutely certain is to have it tested, but if it were me, I wouldn't have even thought about it, let alone be worried.

 

[Danieluk37]

Thanks EddieM. Thanks for reply.. Appreciate. I considered testing, and even called an asbestos company, and they said it would be unlikely to have any in, but even if it did, they would need to test lots of areas as it would not be concentrated to one area. He also said unlikely to have any in. I think its my anxiety getting the better of me, and google not helping finding that one post of the dodge company allowing it to get in with the hardcore. This is surely rare or more people would complain or detect it. right? Also, im not a builder, but would a builder even think to wear a mask with this type of job? Thats why office boys like me should leave these jobs to the experts.

 

[^woody^]

One random firm?

Hardcore is safe.

Any ACM is removed from buildings prior to demolition.

 

[Danieluk37]

Hi Woody, thanks for the reply. Appreciate it. This company I use accept hardcore from anybody, so the public can drop off truck loads of hardcore for recycling, and that is what worries me. What if somebody was unaware that within the rubble was asbestos, and it made its way into the crusher. Is that overthinking it perhaps? I hope so! Just wondered if anybody else had concerns with using recycled crushed hardcore, and was it a big mistake to not even use a mask? Thanks, Daniel.

 

[^woody^]

You're thinking about too many "what ifs", and in that case there could be anthrax, human remains and multitudes of other stuff in it too.

 

[Danieluk37]

Hi Woody, hahah, yes you are correct. I need to think about this rationally. If it were that high risk, you would assume there would be more warnings about the use of Recycled hardcore, and so basically I am overthinking this tbh. Your comments help. So I need to stop worrying. Thank you for reply, Daniel.

 

[Tigercubrider]

The company will probably be on the look out for anybody daft enough to dump hardcore containing asbestos. Because if they got caught, it could put them out of business.
The risk that there is asbestos is tiny, any risk to you is miniscule

 

[Danieluk37]

Thanks Tigercubrider. That is what I thought, and I believe that my issue. My brain is focusing on the what if there was. It would be blended in anyways, and mixed so low concentration. I guess all the sites I keep reading what is worrying me. Need to snap out of this. Appreciate the comment. cheers

 

[mikeey84]

One single exposure to (probably a small amount of) asbestos is unlikely to cause any negative effect.

Asbestos is a hazard that should be taken seriously, but the risk is lower than a lot of people assume.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I spent all of my working life in industry, never any warnings about asbestos for most of that time and I constantly came into contact with it. For it to be a problem, you have to be very unlucky indeed. Many of those with issues came into much more constant contact with it, like asbestos producing factories or manufacturing facilities using asbestos as part of their process. We all come into slight contact with it, there is still a lot of it about. It's just the luck of the draw and amount of time exposed to it.

In your case your doctor is correct - I would not worry at all, about your very short time of possible contact. The worrying has far more chance of doing you damage, than any asbestos.

 

[Danieluk37]

Hi Harry, thanks for the reply. I do think exposure like you said is big part, and if there was anything, it would be minimal. I really should stop worrying about it, and like you said worry will damage me more, thank you.

 

[phatboy]

This may not help...

If you had been exposed, it's done, and could not be undone, and you wouldn't have any ill effects for a long time from now.

But hardcore containing asbestos is very unlikely, and if it did it would be cement-bound type, which is at the low end of risk anyway. And ourdoors its fibres would disappear very fast.

I know I've exposed myself twice since moving to an old house, before I knew a few more things. Nothing to worry about, as there is nothing to be done about it!

 

[Danieluk37]

Hello,

thank you Phatboy. Hope it wasn’t too bad an exposure to it? I too also removed around 50 asbestos vinyl tiles and broke many of them without knowing that is what they were until recently. Not 100 percent, but they match all the pictures online so that was another exposure to it.

It’s just the Asbestos in the hardcore fear. Like you said it would 20-30 years to appear, but I just don’t like that thought. Ha ha.

it is reassuring with regards to the concrete, asbestos if there was going to be any. Cheers for the message

 

[phatboy]

Hello,

Hope it wasn’t too bad an exposure to it? I too also removed around 50 asbestos vinyl tiles and broke many of them without knowing that is what they were until recently.

That was one of my exposures too, realised a year or so later.