Urgent help re: asbestos exposure?

[OscarandLucinda]

We live in a privately rented house, built sometime in 80’s.

Plumbers in today to try to fix a leak - was out while they were doing work, returned to find part of ceiling down and ?asbestos insulation boards.

Have contacted agent about testing but toddler has already been in the room and now very panicked. Can anybody reassure me meantime if likely to contain it based on photos and age of house?

Just to clarify, it’s the grey stuff that seems to be filling a board that I’m worried about. It looks quite fluffy IRL but densely packed.

Asbestos was banned in the mid 80s.

No plumber, not even the most inept, would leave disturbed asbestos without notifying you. If you have their number give them a call directly for reassurance.

Also if they've done any work you can be reassured, as they'd have to hand over to specialists for the asbestos to be removed before any work was done.

I doubt it’s asbestos if the house was built in the 80’s

I think that's just old plasterboard to be honest. That's what our ceiling looked like when it collapsed due to a leak. Ours was an insurance job and the plumber wouldnt touch it until it had been tested for asbestos. When the asbestos guy came he said straight away it wasnt asbestos but as he had been called he had to test it and he was right it wasnt.

As above, ring the plumber, they are the ones who are at a greater risk. Exposure has to be repeated for there to be a significant risk. The risk is also reduced if the asbestos is damp.

Thanks for your reply. I actually check the title deeds and it seems it was built in 1981. I guess I’m worried that they wouldn’t have realised it themselves. They dont seem to have actually done any work or made plans to return yet and the agent couldn’t get hold of them today.

I suppose I would really like someone to say that looks like normal insulating board!

Can you see any glint to it when you shine a torch on it.. Like glitter specks almost (sorry hard to explain)
We have a board electrician thought might be asbestos and house was built in the 80s..
Asbestos guy came out shined a torch on it and said he didn't even need to test it as he could tell it wasn't due to the glitter specks or something along those lines.. Apparently it was next stage on from asbestos boards. Don't know if that's any help to you

Sorry, it's the blue stuff that was banned in the 80s, the white stuff was in the 90s.

A plumber would not leave it like that if it was, they'd lose their registration.

Thank you bunnybigears - I assumed it was some kind of insulating board since it’s fluffy in the middle

Why on earth would you allow your toddler in the room if you're unsure? Baffling

Smurf123 that’s very interesting- it does have glitter specks. To clarify, did yours have glitter specks too or would the absence of them be reassuring?

Toad - she went in the room ahead of me after we got home - they’d been doing the work while we were out

Looks exactly like our older plasterboard (50s house). I have done various panicking/testing/research about asbestos!

AIB is usually white, and less kind of plastery looking than that. Also doesn’t have paper backing which that looks like it does.

Give the plumber a call and ask him, I would think he’ll be able to reassure you as they come across it a lot.

just keep her out of the room till you know now, but as others have said it doesn't look like it is and plumber or builders would be well aware of what to look for,.

Thank you all for your replies, thanks ThirdAidKit that’s also reassuring and glad I’m not the only one!

We have locked the room - unfortunately I can’t contact plumber directly and apparently cannot even arrange for asbestos testing myself without landlord’s permission.

It was also a bit of a shock to come back to an open cavity in the ceiling, no dust sheets etc.

Ours has the glitter specks

Thank you very much Smurf - the glitter effect is so useful to know and exactly the kind of poetic outcome I was hoping for when posting

Sounds like a cowboy. Inform the landlord/managing agent that you are organising asbestos testing yourself (if they don't contact you about it) and then contact your Councils Environmental Health Dept.

It's hard to get a photo but here's ours

Be careful with advice on here about asbestos, i have been on 3 courses for my work and can honestly say I still do not know anywhere near all of the types of asbestos, it was (and still is in some countries such as China) a very popular and versatile material, all of us who were around in pubs and schools in the 70s and 80s will have come across asbestos in the very least WC seats. Some asbestos can be removed without special measures (such as corrugated roofing). In short, the more fiberous and less encased the asbestos the more damaging. So if it is within an AIB such as you suspect then it's slightly better than if it were loose insulation.

Not all carpenters / plumbers /electricians and builders know how to spot asbestos so that is a red herring. No workman would intentionally expose themselves to it obviously, so most proceed with care and are educated on asbestos, however ignorance on all the types exists still.

Asbestos is all around us, most houses have it somewhere and that in itself is not an issue until it is disturbed.

Leave the room unused as you have, get a test from an asbestos survey they will take samples and send off for testing.

There is no need to panic but don't get comfort from strangers on the internet, not all AIB can be identified from a visual inspection of the outside of the board.