Everyone had better stay in bed tomorrow because there is a bigger chance of being killed on the road - crossing it or driving on it. On second thoughts, don't stay in bed, you may be killed in a house fire (as has unfortunately happened in recent days).
I had paint flaking on the fibro on the lower side of my house - similar issue. I did not realise until I was washing it in preparation to painting and noticed it coming off - very thin coat. As I tried to hose the loose flakes off the rest of it started to lift, so I used the garden hose with normal nozzle set half way between off and a jet and used that to lift the rest of the paint off and then went over this with a nylon brush that I clean the car wheels with to loosen any remainder which was half stuck and then painted the panel when it dried. The reason it lifted in the first place was probably because it had been painted over a dirty surface. Mind you, even the pros just paint over dirt without washing!!!
When the painter was doing the upper level of my house and guttering he pointed out to me that he was not allowed to scrape any loose paint off the fibro gutters, merely peel any large loose bits by hand which he did.
Asbestos needs to be taken seriously, but within reason. I would hate to think how many asbestos fibres are in the garden soil around fibro houses from the construction of them. It would be a bit like saw dust from timber homes, except saw dust deteriorates.
I have a friend whose father died from asbestos, worked in the factory of JH before the danger became public knowledge. The amount I have been exposed to is scary. Is my time yet to come, or one of those less susceptible as has been acknowledged???
I used to blow the brake dust out of my car's brakes when checking them or replacing shoes - as most people did, unless using air pressure hose - to blow it everywhere!! Asbestos was used for about 10 years beyond that in brake pads and shoes. When my father was renovating the external laundry and toilet at home when I was a kid he removed the fibro ceiling and eves and dumped in down the side passage where most rubble was dumped so that it could be smashed up smaller for fill which finally was concreted over many years later. I can remember squatting with a sledge hammer and smashing up the fibro, old bricks, bits of concrete etc many times over the years. Looking back on that
, but we did not know. I am now about 40 years beyond that, and many years ago wondered if I had been lucky as the 30 years had passed (probably no real time limit). Then I remembered a few years earlier lifting some old carpet throughout a house ready for the floor boards to be polished, some having lino under it which was lifted as well. As I lifted and rolled the lino I squashed it flat so that it would stay rolled up. It was very old, 1954 as the old newspaper under it dated it. At that time I was not aware of lino having asbestos in it (or hessian potatoes sacks, underlay etc) and flattening it broke the lino open where it was squashed. I remember that day, I had meant to take a dust mask with me as I knew there would be a lot of dust lifting the carpet and underlay, but forgot and did not bother going home to get it. At the end of the day my nose was full of dirty dust, like after sweeping the garage, but it would not be till several years later I realised my potential exposure. Reset that 30 year clock!!
Ah, such is life. What are we exposed to today which will prove to be the next asbestos? By the time that latest 30 year clock is up I will be the same age as my mother was when she went into a alzheimers/dementia aged care facility. She was only mid 70's. Sobering! She has surpassed the time most people last on average in aged care with the illness, but I fear alzehers/dementia much more than asbestos.
I even had a car run into the back of me when visiting my IP in Qld a few months ago. (Property investing can also be dangerous!) It was a good whack but luckily the bumpers lined up and the strongest parts of each car could handle the hit with only minor damage, but it could have been a truck as does happen with fatalities!!
Now what will I have for dinner tonight? Hope it's not something that proves to be deadly in a few weeks time and you read about it in the newspaper!!!!