Phone: 1300 780 745
8 Corporation Circuit, Tweed Heads South, NSW, 2486
Po Box 6486, Tweed Heads South, NSW, 2486
Mobile Number: 0412 705 745
Fax Number: 07 5524 8668
Email: admin@aboutasbestos.com.au
A.B.N.: 32 131 022 609







WHAT IS ASBESTOS? 

Asbestos is a material that can have potentially fatal health effects.

Asbestos is now banned from use.  It was prevalent in different products from the 1940s
until the late 1980s.

If asbestos is disturbed or broken it can release fibres that once airborne are capable of
being inhaled deep into a person lungs, causing significant health problems.

When inhaled the fibres can cause lung cancer which might not be detected until many
years after exposure.

Asbestos is dangerous and it essential that adequate measures are taken to protect people
against unnecessary exposure and risk.

Asbestos generally comes in three types:
chrysotile  known as  "white" asbestos
crocidolite known as  "blue"asbestos 
amosite  known as  "brown" or "grey" asbestos 

When dealing with asbestos it's condition is generally referred to as bonded asbestos-containing
material (bonded asbestos) contains a bonding compound reinforced with asbestos fibres; or friable
asbestos-containing material (friable asbestos) is unbonded asbestos-containing material that,
when dry, is or may become crumbled, pulverised or reduced to powder by hand pressure. 

Bonded asbestos can be found in products such as asbestos cement sheeting commonly used in
building materials between 1940s to the late 1980s.

Other bonded asbestos products include:
profiled sheets used on roofs and walls and flat sheets in flashings 
imitation brick cladding  
roof shingles  
water or flue pipes  
plaster patching compounds  
textured paint  
vinyl floor tiles  
friction products such as brake shoes, disc pads, clutch housings or elevator brakes. 
Friable asbestos is easily crumbled or reduced to powder by hand.

Common forms of friable asbestos materials include:
sprayed on fireproofing/soundproofing/thermal insulation 
acoustic plaster soundproofing  
thermal insulation (not sprayed on). 
 
 

WHERE IS ASBESTOS FOUND 

Materials that contain asbestos can be found in buildings, workplaces and dwellings built before 1990.
Buildings, workplaces and dwellings that have been built after 1990 can also contain asbestos.

Asbestos can also be found in products or materials, for example brake disc pads.

Asbestos can be difficult to identify and it is often impossible to confirm it's presence by a visual inspection.
The only way to be certain whether asbestos is present is to have a sample of the material analysed by a
NATA accredited laboratory.

You should never attempt to sample anything you believe may contain asbestos.  It is very dangerous and
should only be done by a competent person.

If material is suspected of containing asbestos and you do not have it tested you MUST treat is as containing
asbestos by law.  For example, if there is reliable manufacturer information on a product, such as a label
stating something contains asbestos, or if it is a product of a type and age that typically contains asbestos
you can and should presume it contains asbestos.

 
 
HEALTH ISSUES 

Breathing in asbestos fibres has been linked to three respiratory diseases, all of which can be fatal:

Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease that can lead to respiratory impairment and to diseases such as
lung cancer

Mesothelioma is a cancer in two forms - pleural which is a tumour of the lung; and peritoneal, which
is a cancer of the abdominal cavity

Lung cancer caused by asbestos cannot be distinguished from those cancers that are caused by other
agents such as tobacco smoke.
 
 

DOMESTIC ENVIROMENT 

In Queensland from 1940 until the late 1980s bonded asbestos was commonly used in the manufacture of
asbestos-cement corrugated and flat sheets (fibro) for roofing and walls. Undisturbed or painted fibro
does not generally pose a health risk.

Thermal or acoustic insulation used in homes may have also contained friable asbestos, the easily crumbled
form of asbestos that can be reduced to powder by hand.

Friable asbestos is extremely dangerous and must only be removed by a certified asbestos removalist
(holding either a current licence for asbestos removal work issued between 1 February 2002 and 31 December
2005 or an A class licence for asbestos removal work issued from 1 January 2006).

 
 
PROHIBITED ACTIVITY 

The Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 1997 prohibit the use of certain tools and work methods when
working with ACM as they can generate dangerous airborne asbestos fibres.

These prohibitions include the use of:
high-speed abrasive power and pneumatic tools
high-pressure water cleaners
compressed air or abrasive blasting
household vacuum cleaners even if they have a HEPA filter. Only vacuum cleaners specifically designed for
safe work with asbestos may be used.



       National Occupational Health & Safety Commission - Code of Practice for the Safe Removal of Asbestos 2005 [NOHSC:2002(2005)]


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