How to know if you have asbestos in your house?

Asbestos is a natural mineral fibre that comes in several forms. After World War II, materials such as bricks, tiles and pipes were expensive, so many Australians used asbestos-filled fibro sheeting to build their homes. In fact, asbestos remained a common component of both home construction and commercial materials until 1985. Before that time, asbestos was considered a wonderful product thanks to its fire-retardant qualities, low cost, flexibility and strength.

Many schools and offices throughout Australia were constructed using asbestos, and one-third of Australian homes contain asbestos. So, it’s important to know what to look for, how to identify asbestos in your house and how to deal with this potentially dangerous substance.

Where is asbestos found in homes?

Around one-third of Australian houses contain asbestos. If your home was built before 1985, asbestos is highly likely to be present in some form. 

Within the home, asbestos building products were commonly used as external cladding, internal wall linings and for eaves and soffits. Asbestos building products were also used in laundries and bathrooms in place of tiles, and corrugated asbestos fibro was used for roofs and fences. Materials such as wall cladding and fibro may look harmless but they can actually contain asbestos.

What should you do if you find asbestos in your house?

In many cases of asbestos in the house, there's no need to do anything. If a material within your house contains asbestos and is intact and undamaged then the product is perfectly safe so long as it remains undisturbed.

However, it is important that you are aware of the presence, or possible presence, of asbestos-containing material in the house and how to handle any disruption of that material.

Exposure to asbestos through building products is most likely to occur during a renovation or demolition when asbestos-containing materials are disturbed, removed or cut. When asbestos fibres enter the air, the dust can enter your lungs and potentially cause serious health problems, such as lung-related asbestos disease or mesothelioma, a form of terminal cancer. Although these diseases are rare, the consequences are fatal.

Because of the dangers of asbestos exposure, if you're renovating or planning to renovate your home, it is important to remove any materials that contain, or are likely to contain, asbestos, and be sure to exercise extreme caution. If you believe that you might have to disturb any asbestos-containing products then you should have the product tested by an accredited asbestos expert, who can advise you whether the product contains asbestos and how you should deal with it.

What should you do if you are exposed to asbestos dust? 

If you are concerned about any asbestos dust exposure or begin to develop any illness, it's important to see a doctor as soon as possible. It’s also a good idea to document any asbestos exposure in case you do develop an asbestos-related disease later in life. Our free Dusts Register is a convenient way to do this. Recording the details of your exposure, regardless of how recent or long ago it was, can help any future claims for compensation you may need to make. 

For more information on recognising asbestos or on registering your exposure to it, visit the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency website.

As asbestos lawyers, we can help you explore your options if another party’s negligence results in your exposure to asbestos.