Introduction To Asbestos:

 

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral rock made up of strong fibres that have fire, heat and chemical resistant properties. While asbestos is now banned from use it was a component of thousands of different products used in the community and industry from the 1940's until the late 1980's. A large number of these products are still found in both residential and commercial buildings in Australia.
Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) were used in a variety of building products:-

• Corrugated asbestos cement – roofing, roof shingles, gutters, downpipes & fencing
• Cement sheeting (fibro)- internal/external walls and ceilings
• Electrical backing boards in meter boxes
• Vinyl floor coverings
• Vermiculite sprayed ceilings
• Hot water tank flues
• Asbestos cement flue and drainage pipe-work
• Flexible building boards (e.g. Villaboard, Hardiflex, etc). Similar cement sheeting products are used today, but are 'asbestos free'

 

Under NSW Legislation, material that contains asbestos is referred to as either friable or bonded. Below are definitions of these two forms and some examples.

Bonded Asbestos Material

Bonded asbestos material is any material that contains asbestos in a bonded matrix. It may consist of Portland cement or various resin/binders and cannot be crushed by hand when dry. Asbestos cement (AC) products and electrical metering boards in good condition are examples of bonded asbestos material.

Friable Asbestos Material

Friable asbestos material is any material that contains asbestos and is in the form of a powder or can be crumbled, pulverised or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry. Sprayed limpet, mill board, pipe and boiler lagging are examples of friable asbestos.

Health Risks Associated With Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM):

How can asbestos affect my health?
Breathing in asbestos fibres has been linked to 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 of the lining of the pleura (outer lung lining) or of the peritoneum (the lining 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. OTHER CANCERS - Cancers of the larynx, stomach, large intestine and possibly of the ovary, breast, kidney and bone marrow.

Other indications of asbestos exposure are:

Pleural plaques - patches of thickening of the lining of the chest wall and over the diaphragm; Pleural effusion – a collection of fluid within the chest but outside the lung.

 The risk of contracting these diseases increases with the number of fibres inhaled and the risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibres is also greater if you smoke. People who get health problems from inhaling asbestos have usually been exposed to high levels of asbestos for a long time. The symptoms of these diseases do not usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos.
Legislation & Codes Of Practice References:
National Occupational Health And Safety Commission – (NOHSC: 2002(2005)
Code of practice for the removal of Asbestos.

National Occupational Health And Safety Commission – (NOHSC: 2018 (2005))
Code of practice for the management and control of asbestos in workplaces.
Occupational Health & Safety Act 2000 safe working conditions.

Occupational Health & Safety Regulation 2001 Exposure standards, licensing and permits

 

Further information: General information on asbestos can be obtained from the NSW Government's website.   NSW Workers' Compensation Dust Diseases Board - (02) 8223 6600 or Toll Free on 1800 550 027   Dust Diseases Board also operates the Occupational Respiratory Screening Service and the Mobile Respiratory Screening Service (Lung Bus) Tel: 1800 727 333   WorkCover Authority Licences contractors who remove asbestos.   Office of Fair Trading Oversees trading practices.   National Occupational Health & Safety Commission Outlines the methods, procedures and work practices for the identification, evaluation and control hazards for asbestos