What is asbestos and where is it found in Australian homes

Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral whose microscopic fibres, when inhaled, cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Because the fibres are heat-resistant, strong and cheap, they were used in more than 3,000 building products in Australia between the 1940s and the late 1980s. All new use of asbestos was banned nationally on 31 December 2003, but the material is still legally in place in an estimated one in three Australian homes built before 1990.

Non-friable asbestos is asbestos bound into a solid matrix — usually cement — so fibres cannot easily be released while the material is intact. Common examples are fibre-cement sheeting (‘fibro’) on external walls and eaves, corrugated roofing, backing to vinyl floor tiles and textured ceilings. Non-friable material becomes dangerous when it is drilled, sanded, cut with a power tool, water-blasted, weathered or damaged in a fire.

Friable asbestos can be crumbled or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry. It includes pipe lagging, sprayed insulation, loose-fill roof insulation (Mr Fluffy) and degraded fibre-cement. Friable asbestos is significantly higher risk and, under work health and safety law in every Australian jurisdiction, may only be removed by a licensed Class A asbestos removalist.

Suspect asbestos in any home built or renovated before 1990. Common locations are external cladding and eaves, corrugated roofing, bathroom and laundry walls, splashbacks, fences, garden sheds, chimney flues, meter boxes, pipe lagging, textured ceilings and vinyl floor tile backing. Do not assume — sample and lab-test through a NATA-accredited laboratory before you disturb the material.