Asbestos is understandably a material that gives tradespeople, renovators and home buyers cause for concern.
Exposure to this invisible hazardous material can cause fatal lung diseases with symptoms able to go undetected for decades.
Asbestos was banned in Australia in 2003 and it is now banned in all other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, except for Mexico and the US.
So, should home buyers and renovators still be cautious about asbestos?
Yes!
Despite being banned in Australia for 20 years, asbestos can still be found in one in three homes, according to Asbestos Safety.
Asbestos popularity
Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral fibre that was popular in buildings and machinery construction around the globe in the 1970s-1980s, due to its affordability and immunity to heat and electricity dangers.
Asbestos can also be mixed with cement and other materials.
Australia had one of the highest rates of asbestos use per person in the world until the mid-1980s.
However, global use of asbestos dropped in the 1970s as the dangers of exposure to the toxic material became known.
Asbestos illnesses
Asbestos is largely only dangerous if disturbed or damaged; however, “legacy” or “in-situ” asbestos can survive in properties, and be highly lethal, for 50 years or more.
Safe Work Australia warns breathing in tiny asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis (a chronic lung disease) and mesothelioma (a rare form of lung cancer).
Symptoms of these diseases, for which there is no cure, may not appear until 10 to 40 years after initial exposure.
Asbestos containment
Only licenced asbestos assessors can ensure your property is safe from asbestos, as it is invisible, but homes built before 1990 are much more at risk of containing the material.
Depending on their licence, assessors may be able to remove asbestos or you can contact an asbestos removalist.
Asbestos Safety advises asbestos doesn’t need to be a sales or rental deal breaker. However, vendors and sales agents must disclose if a home contains asbestos and disclosure laws are different in every state and territory.
DIY home renovators are also now in the direct line of fire, according to KPMG analysts, following the first and second “waves” of impact affecting miners, then tradespeople.
In a report prepared for the Asbestos Injuries Compensation Fund, KMPG noted that there had been a “significant additional surge in third-wave claims arising from renovations”.
These claims were also over and above current levels of activity, KPMG said.
According to the report, 297 mesothelioma claims against James Hardie were recorded in FY2023, along with 97 asbestosis claims and 22 lung cancer claims.