Asbestos

Bluepenguin

I did post this in Health and Safety, but with the volume in General I'm hoping for an answer faster.
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Please help me with this. My husband is an electrician, and he was working on a service upgrade today.

It's a 1940's house in Calgary, and he suspects that there was asbestos in the drywall. They stopped all work and ordered an inspection. But the damage was done.

How often do you come across asbestos? I plead complete ignorance, and find it hard to believe it may be so incredibly common (Google..) In fact I read electricians are in the highest risk area!

What about attics? How often did I hear "I was crawling in this attic today.." What precautions do you take? (ie... respirator..I'm almost afraid to ask him if he uses one)

I'd appreciate any responses... I don't feel good at all.

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Tiger

This isn't current information, but I spoke with a safety salesperson about this 10 years ago. I was told that a high-quality tight-fitting dust respirator will filter asbestos. A disposable coverall is probably a good idea also.

I used to brush myself off good while outside with the respirator on, then strip in the garage and carry my clothes directly to the washing machine and immediately shower. It worked well for my limited, light exposure.

There was a laborer on this same job with a lightweight useless disposable dust mask pulling down a ceiling and getting showered with asbestos. There was also a homeowner with a small child who I warned off the job.

JDavis21835

I have learned a lot about asbestos being in the industrial demolition business for a while. The likely hood of anyone in the trades of being exposed is high. That being said, taking precautions is not a bad thing. The thing about a respirator is you need to find one that fits. You need to be clean shaven. You also need to make sure there are no rips or tears on the silicon/rubber of the respirator. You need to make sure it stays clean, and you need to change your filters regularly. All this being said, the big thing you can do to protect yourself is to be a non smoker. In our safety meetings, they have shown us studies that show smokers are at a higher risk of getting asbestosis.

Bluepenguin

it turns out he does use a respirator in attic jobs.. how efficient it is it remains to be found out..
a part of the drywall is outside now, wet, we're getting it tested tomorrow...
I had no idea this is such a common thing. You'd think that with the risk, there'd be more awareness..

easymoney

I think you'll find most have been aware for many years... that's like saying; wow! people ought to wear seat belts, do you know how many people are killed in automobile accedents a year!?

Asbestos BAD... and Hepa Masks, Hepa approved vacuums, hudson water sprayers, 1 mil poly and 100 mile an hour tape, GOOD!

TRC

Worked with an old-timer for a while, he taught me a lot. He's now in his mid 70's. I was concerned about asbestos and he told me he worked with it and in it for over 20 years and him and his buddy's never had a problem. Maybe he's just lucky? Something tells me that there's a lot of materials in old houses to be worried about. For me, I only wear mask if doing demolition and a suit if removing old insulation like "mineral wool" which is known to have asbestos in it. Luckily, i don't do either of these things very often anymore.

Aggressive

The tough part about asbestos is that some coutires still manufacture materials that constain asbestos. A lot of materials from Canada and Mexico can contain asbestos. When ever I need to specify dry wall it is important to specify that the material must state that it is asbestos free. On another note, its a shame that asbestos is so harmful. It really is a great fibrous material as well as being a great insulator. They say that encapsulating pipes with asbestos insulation is a good idea since you can still untilize its capabilites and remove the risk of exposure. Exposure is very serious and a lot of jobs require independent monitors to monitor the air quality during abatement operations.

Bluepenguin

We had a sample checked out, no asbestos. But it's a wakeup call. He got a new respirator as well... I want my guy to be around when we both retire, you know what I mean? This is pretty serious stuff and again, I can't believe how common it is. Thanks for all the replies.