About Asbestos
Asbestos fibres are completely invisible to the human eye and are easily breathed in by the lungs. Between the 1940’s and 1980’s, a very large proportion of Australian building materials (particularly for residential use) contained the mineral. In 2003, the use of all forms of it were banned (i.e. classified unsuitable and unsafe for building).
How it affects our health
As it is easily breathed into the lungs, it has been linked to the harmful cause of:
Asbestosis
an irreparable and rapidly advancing scarring of the lung
tissue, which causes breathing difficulties
Lung Cancer
affecting the lining around the abdomen and the lungs
Benign
Pleural Diseases
also affecting the linings of the abdomen and the lungs
Each of the aforementioned diseases develop gradually and have do not have cures.
Different types
The below categories vary greatly and as a result their harmful properties and the associated costs of removal differ.
1Friable/loosely bound
Primarily found in commercial and/or industrial developments but was also used in residential heaters, hot water systems, vinyl/linoleum flooring, pipe lagging and stoves. Due to its loose nature, this type of asbestos can disperse through the air easily, posing significant health threats.
2Bonded/tightly bound
Commonly found in residential properties, this type of asbestos is typically used in smaller amounts than loosely bound asbestos. It is much more solid and poses less of a health threat as it cannot disperse through air at the same rapid rate.
Contact Savana Environmental for more information on our asbestos identification and removal suite of services.
Where is asbestos commonly found
The below categories vary greatly and as a result their harmful properties and the associated costs of removal differ.
Source: Queensland Government click here to view home renovation guide.
Up until 2003 when the use of asbestos was banned in its entirety in Australia, asbestos was commonly used for domestic applications due to its cost, abundance and overall effectivness. Asbestos is known to have been used in over 2000 products. As such there are still very large quantities of asbestos within buildings today.
The sketches show the likely location, and products which asbestos was commonly used in a typical builds in Australia.
