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jane928_gw

Very worried about possible asbestos exposure?

Jane928
10 years ago

Last year, I moved into a remodeled tenement building in New York (Lower East Side). Since the apartments were gut renovated, I was concerned about asbestos and asked my landlord for the ACM forms. The forms indicated that no asbestos was found in my apartment unit, but no forms existed for the hallway/lobby area. In the hallway, the walls were crumbling and the brick underneath was exposed. Eventually, they tore down the crumbling walls, completely exposed the brick, and put up some sort of drywall a few weeks later.

I am not sure if there actually was asbestos in the hallway, and my landlord has ignored my questions. It was very dusty during the whole construction period and we brought a lot of dust into the apartment just by having our door open and walking in and out. After we moved out, I started reading more about asbestos exposure and became increasingly worried. There's nothing much I can do now, but I read that asbestos fibers can stay on clothes/furniture for years. Should I get rid of all my possessions that were in the apartment? When we moved, we had to move everything through the dusty hallway. Or is there some way I can safely clean my things?

Comments (8)

  • worthy
    10 years ago

    What would have been in the hallways that wasn't in the apartments?

  • lavender_lass
    10 years ago

    I can see why you might be concerned! Testing might be a good idea...at least it would give you peace of mind :)

  • intelinside1
    10 years ago

    I tested mine nad once I did and got negative results I was happy.

    I did end up having lead in the paint though. Which you probably do to if it's a pre 1978 building...

    just keep everything clean and always wet wipe and spray water if drilling into walls etc.

    always clean up all dust and use lead safe 3M masks they sell on Amazon etc

  • kudzu9
    10 years ago

    Jane-
    Many people read about asbestos and get spooked, which sounds like what you have done. Don't get me wrong, asbestos is bad stuff; I know because I spent most of my career as an environmental engineer working in this area. However, in your case, I think it is unlikely you had any exposure from that work in the hallway. If they were removing asbestos insulation from old ducts and furnaces, or popcorn ceilings, then, yes. But just because they tore out what looks like a lot of old plaster and made a lot of dust means nothing. There may have been some lead dust in the air from the old paint, but that is a different story.

    As far as getting rid of your possessions, that's the uninformed panic talking...there is no need for that. (Even if there had been asbestos dust involved, a cleaning with an HVAC vacuum would have taken care of that, if it were necessary.) Please, you have been reading a bunch of scary stuff on the Internet and, having no background to properly assess the situation, have gotten upset. Take a deep breath and relax. Many people are ignorant of environmental risks and get into trouble unknowingly; in your case, you may be over-aware and too concerned about possibilities. I'm not trying to make light of your concern; I'm just trying to get you out of panic mode on this. It's fine and you will be fine.

  • pirate_girl
    10 years ago

    Thank you Engineer Kudzu9 for the above post, informed & informative, reassuring & helpful.

    Yes, Jane, Pls. DO calm down. If there'd been asbestos found there you would have known.

    DEP would have been there ASAP, & the whole thing would have suddenly been encased in plastic, w/ folks wearing haz mat suits, etc. How do I know? Because I was a Mandatory Evacuee of Hurricane Sandy a year ago. My bldg's basement & first floor were destroyed & during their reconstruction, asbestos was found in the basement & disturbed.

    DEP came aboard ASAP, all was encased in plastic & the asbestos all had to be completely cleared & the site inspected & re-inspected as safe BEFORE any bldg trades were allowed on the Premises to even BEGIN the repairs.

    Agreed Jane, likely no such thing happened at your place. FYI: it's not the presence of the asbestos that's a problem; it's when the asbestos has been disturbed enabling its particles to become airborne & thereby a respiratory hazard.

  • Jane928
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    kudzu9 Thank you so much for your reassurance! I tend to be a worrier and the Internet has made everything 100X worse.

  • kudzu9
    10 years ago

    jane-
    You're welcome...and thanks for not taking offense at my choice of words to reassure you.

    I can identify with the dangers of the Internet. I've learned to never Google any of my medical symptoms...it usually turns out that I could have an incurable brain tumor!