Asbestos!! DANGER

Hinman

So I’m kind of concerned about asbestos exposure. At some point in the history of the building someone removed a lot of asbestos lagging from around the steam pipes and the boiler. I’ll assume in the process asbestos dust fell to the floor and is still there since I’ve never cleaned the floors. It’s super dusty in the boiler room. There is still some asbestos lagging on a few pipes, but it’s damaged. I don’t spend much time down there, but I’d say I’m in the boiler room every other day or 2 for a few minutes. I can only imagine how much it would cost to do asbestos abatement and don’t have that kind of cash. It seems like it’s the white plastery asbestos variety that was covered with cloth. I read online it’s not as dangerous as other types of asbestos. Ive purposely not cleaned the floors because I’m afraid of kicking up the dust and dirt and most likely asbestos dust mixed in. Anyone have any thoughts? I can’t imagine plumbers and hvac people haven’t worked in environments like that before. Is catching asbestos related diseases as easy as some claim or do you really need to be around it 8 hours a day and really kicking up dust etc? How much exposure is considered a bad amount? (I know no amount is good, but I’d think there are degrees of exposure or no?)

nicholas bonham-carter

Wear a good respirator, and a tyvek suit, which can be thrown away, while down there.
I think the professional asbestos people would damp mop the floor—NBC

pecmsg

https://www.epa.gov/asbestos

EBEBRATT-Ed

You should have an abatement company take care of that. No one can tell how much exposure is ok or not.

In some locations you could soak it with water using a spray bottle and keep misting it till it's completely soaked then clean it up.

Not recommending you do this and then where do you dispose of it??

nibs

4 hours after an asbestos worker gets home ( in his work clothes) his kids are passing asbestos in their urine.
Don't risk it get it out of there.
Undisturbed and encapsulated it is very low risk, but fibers floating around in air after your walk in the dust is a bad scene.

Leonard

Kids passing asbestos in urine..... same problem they had in 50's when nuclear plant workers came home from work in their daily work clothes.

I always wondered if wetting the area with water and laundry detergent will hold down the particales, then can vacuum them up. Then maybe if leave some water and laundry detergent behind any stray particles will be "stuck " on floor. Suppose washing , vacuuming, drying, then painting it over might be better.

Fred

I read recently that the current administration is considering using it again in certain applications. I know that doesn't add credibility to its usefulness and or safety. It says more about the current administration but that's a whole different discussion for another social media group.

STEVEusaPA

About 20 years ago I was called (but easily excused) for jury duty on an asbestos case.
The husband worked at the Navy Yard with asbestos his whole life, no health/lung issues.
His wife did his laundry, passed away from asbestosis (mesothelioma).

jumper

Asbestos is much more dangerous to smokers,I read. I don't know why an air cleaner can't be left to run there for a few days or a few weeks?

Asbestos was very useful but plaintiff lawyers needed revenue so they convinced DeepState to go along with a money pot instead of publicizing solutions.

lchmb

just do yourself a favor and call a reputable pro in your area.. let them test the air and floors and do what's right..dont play with fire..

STEVEusaPA

jumper said:

...Asbestos was very useful but plaintiff lawyers needed revenue so they convinced DeepState to go along with a money pot instead of publicizing solutions.

That's really not correct at all, but conspiracy nonsense.
What I heard directly from one of the top asbestos attorneys in Philadelphia (worked for him for years) is this (paraphrased as I was told this years ago):

The government wanted to move from asbestos to fiberglass. Unions and private industry balked fearing fiberglass was worse.
The government commissioned an exhaustive study and concluded asbestos was very dangerous to people's health. However, they buried the study for a number of years for a number of reasons, mostly money, and not wanting their political 'friends' companies to lose money-the usual.
When the study was finally unearthed is when all the litigation (rightfully so) started.
So please leave the Fox News deep-state nonsense out of it.

Dave0176

Let’s remember big semi’s still use asbestos in their clutches and brake linings.

Shalom

Which is why they warn you not to blow the dust out of the brake drum with compressed air.

Jamie Hall

With regard to @Fred 's comment on starting to use it again for some purposes -- it isn't necessary to take a political position on that, and it isn't useful. There are, simply, a small number of applications for which there simply isn't a good substitute, or even a really usable one. Provided that suitable care is used in the application, like anything else which is harmful the harm can be managed.

That said -- if our OP's description of the situation is anything like right, he (or she) needs to get that cleaned up by professionals. The stuff really is dangerous if not handled with a good deal of care.