Health risks of asbestos exposure explained

Asbestos-related diseases have a long latency period — often 20 to 50 years between first exposure and diagnosis. Australia has one of the highest per-capita rates of mesothelioma in the world, and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare records around 700 new mesothelioma diagnoses each year. The current wave of disease is driven not by mining or manufacturing, but by home renovators and tradespeople disturbing materials that have been in place for decades.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen almost always caused by asbestos exposure. Lung cancer risk rises with cumulative dose, especially when combined with smoking. Asbestosis is a scarring of the lungs from higher-dose exposure. Non-malignant pleural disease, including pleural plaques and thickening, is more common and can cause breathlessness.

Safe Work Australia, the Cancer Council and the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency all state there is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos fibres. Even short, low-dose exposures can lead to disease decades later. Prevention is the only real control: identify, control the work, use licensed removalists, and never dry-sweep or high-pressure clean asbestos.