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Davebarnes am I suppose to accept the fact that My family and I will develop mesothelioma or is there a chance that we won't considering the "minimal" exposure?
Forget about that guy. He's just tossing a grenade into the discussion.
Get some test results before you start burning a bunch of nervous energy. For all you know it could be calcium blocks or rock wool.
I work around asbestos all the time and have so for the past 30 years. If you walk into a building built pre '74, you're surrounded with it, some structures use it in their siding, lots in floor tiles. The white stuff, I hear, is the tame variety, the brown paper type is the rascal you want to avoid.
If you smoke, avoid the habit in areas of possible exposure. If you smoke, you probably don't really care about your health that much to begin with.
Take pictures and make sure they are dated. Go online to find pics of asbestos insulation, and see if what you saw seems like examples you find online. Call your city and ask how to have it tested. Your landlord might not be in compliance with a code, if the stuff is asbestos and it is loose and fibers are drifting.
My father died of asbestosis, probably caused when he put it in a new air conditioner shortly before he retired. I take this very seriously, and you should too. However, you need to get facts before can know what is going on in your place. Then you will know if you want to move.
Generally, experts say that the asbestos will not hurt you if it is not disturbed. But if you are seeing fibers loose, I would think it had been disturbed. However you need to establish what that stuff really is.
Go online to find pics of asbestos insulation, and see if what you saw seems like examples you find online. Call your city and ask how to have it tested.
Online research is what has the OP in a panic.
And the OP is awaiting test results.
I called the city's code enforcement department and they told me that they dont deal with asbestos and directed me to a guy at the department of labor that is head of the asbestos division. they were the only people who helped me. I called the department of health, neighborhood legal services, local attorney generals office nobody helped me except the department of labor. I've taken pictures so did the department of labor which also took the samples. I've looked online everything points to adbestos. I've seen pictures of asbestos before and understand what the stuff looks like and understand left untouched and intact it's fine. I'm a pretty smart guy I really don't think this stuff is anything else. It's not fiberglass as some people said I know what that looks like. My only hope right now is that the exposure was minimal as some have said it looks like and that we don't develop mesothelioma as I know the other related diseases are from accumulated high exposure. I have stuff in the basement that I would like to get out when I move. I don't have a lease so that's not a problem just have to find a place I can afford right now. I don't want to go in that basement though. Thanks guys again for the replies and the help. Much appreciated. I'm the mean I'm gonna stay off the web looking up stuff to ease the anxiety. I'll only check this post and wait for the results. Thanks again.
"Despite its well-documented dangers, you may be shocked to learn that asbestos has yet to be banned in the United States. Doctors, scientists, and the U.S. Surgeon General agree that asbestos is a carcinogen and there is no safe level of exposure."
"Despite its well-documented dangers, you may be shocked to learn that asbestos has yet to be banned in the United States. Doctors, scientists, and the U.S. Surgeon General agree that asbestos is a carcinogen and there is no safe level of exposure."
The same is true of second hand cigarette smoke however there are still a lot of states that allow smoking indoors. Even the ones with the strictest indoor air standards allow you to smoke inside a private residence regardless of who else lives there.
I've meant to update the status of my situation. The samples came back from the floor and pipes as 22% asbestos. So we've definitely been exposed it's all over the floor down there and we've walked in and out of the basement in socks slippers and shoes and right into our apartment. My main exposure would come from the area rug I took out of there tgat was covered in the stuff. I put it on the porch and beat it with a broom stick not knowing it was covered in adbestos. Also our neighbors dryer wasn't vebted out the window for a period of a few months and blew right on to the floor where this stuff is concetrated. The property manager isn't happy with the situation is not being nice to us but did say a company is suppose to come clean it up. Not sure how they clean it up since its been exposed and it's everywhere now I'm assuming all accumulated dust has asbestos down there. In the mean time we've been looking for a new place but it's hard with the time of year. Thanks for the responses guys. I just have to pray now that none of us get sick.
As far as cleanup, they use special vacuums and then wipe everything down with water/detergent.
It's still probably not that much of a real danger to you and your family. The pipes are the most worrisome as the type of asbestos used in flooring does not usually get airborne.
Your exposure was limited to a relatively short period of time.
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