Asbestos?

[knicks10]

Hello...had a question. A few years back I had a brief exposure to asbestos (had no idea at the time it was asbestos, only found out recently...was helping a friend w/an abandoned house which was bought...was only in for a few hours, but was VERY dusty, full of debris, broken down, etc...). I checked with a doctor and several people well versed on the subject and they informed me while there is no "safe" exposure to asbestos, they explained to me such a small/acute exposure is not something to really worry too much about.

My question now is this though - years back (the same day when I was in the abandoned house), I found some cool posters/antique looking ads (dusty, dirty, etc..) which I took with me. I had them in a pile of stuff in my room for a bit, moved to garage a few times, and eventually ended up in a storage box in my room. To be honest, I never really even thought about them/the asbestos thing recently until I just came across them this week. Immediately panicked when I saw them (as I realized they came from the house w/the asbestos) and brought them outside and threw them away. Do objects (ie; papers, stuff like that) hold on to the asbestos materials, act as a "transport"? Or would simply carrying them out of the house years ago, moving them around make the fibers "fall off"/not "re-expose" me to asbestos. I was worried about this acute exposure from years ago, and was assured it wasn't a big deal as it was a one time thing...but would the papers which were IN the house bring large amounts of asbestos out of the house (and now into my house/room)? What should I do? Do I need the air tested or something now? Really kind of nervous about this now, any advice is much appreciated.

[Philip D Parks, MD, MPH, MOccH, FACOEM]

Hello,


Yes, I would recommend "moving on". Be well.

~•~ Dr. Parks

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical or legal advice. The information presented in this posting is for patients’ education only. As always, I encourage you to see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

[Philip D Parks, MD, MPH, MOccH, FACOEM]

Hello,

Your risk is minimal given the facts that you have presented in your posting. Asbestos fibers become airborne when disturbed during demolition, remodeling and other activities. It is very unlikely that a significant number of fibers were present on the papers.

~•~ Dr. Parks

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical or legal advice. The information presented in this posting is for patients’ education only. As always, I encourage you to see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

[knicks10]

to better explain it...I guess i'm nervous about what may be some kind of "indirect" asbestos exposure from the papers (only a few) that were in the house w/confirmed asbetsos...it was only that one time years ago (papers have been shuffled around,moved many times since) and there has been no other reintroduction of asbestos from that house...should I just forget about this? Move on and not worry about it?