ᐅ Flower pots containing asbestos in a cargo van

Hello, asbestos is on my mind right now because of our renovation. Recently, I had a question about tiles. Today, something else happened that worries me. However, my partner is convinced that it is not asbestos. We had an old flower pot in front of the house, and he took it along with some other trash to dispose of it. He came back with the pot because it has to be disposed of as hazardous waste. So far, so good. We rented a van to transport items from storage to our home that need to go back inside the apartment. He brought the pot (which is very likely made of asbestos; I have seen several similar examples online) back with him, and now I’m worried that the other items in the van, which will be brought into our home again, might be contaminated with asbestos and I’m really anxious about this. The pot has a small crack (which I think has been there for a while) but otherwise looks intact. However, my partner handled it—lifting it in and out, etc. And the van was bumping around while driving. I am very scared that he might have asbestos fibers on his clothes or, in the worst case, that the fibers have contaminated our furniture and everything will end up inside the apartment. He was also holding our children (aged 1 and 4) and refuses to change his clothes, saying there is supposedly no risk. Can that many fibers actually be released to pose a danger to us, or am I just overreacting?

Can anyone share some information on this topic and maybe help calm me down—or not if necessary...

Diane, the same applies as with tiles. You have to inhale asbestos fibers—that means dust coming out of the bucket. Have you been filing it diligently? No. Then no fibers are released.

Relax here as well. And read up on asbestos to understand when it is actually dangerous.

lula2702 schrieb:

Can anyone tell me something about this topic and maybe reassure me, or not...

The material is harmful, but as always, the dose makes the poison. The risk of contamination exists with regular exposure (which is why it is banned in construction and why there are regulations for disposal) or with high levels of exposure (which is why precautions are necessary during demolition). Neither applies to your bucket transport. You can relax.

I can understand that this might make you nervous at first, but from my perspective, it doesn’t sound like a critical situation. As long as the bucket wasn’t damaged and no dust came out, usually nothing happens. During normal transport, hardly any fibers come loose. I would just shake out or wipe the materials, and that should be fine.