Deadly Asbestos Dust from Renovations
November 18th 2008 06:09
“With hundreds of thousands of renovations taking place each year in Australia it is important to highlight the dangers facing people who can breathe in asbestos dust which attacks the lungs,” said General Manager of Archicentre, David Hallett.
According to WorkSafe Victoria, “Australia has the highest incidence of asbestos-related cancer in the world. Due to the danger that it poses, asbestos has been banned.”
The Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia Inc state “...the asbestos fibres can become airborne because they are very fine. Once in the air, the fibres are easily inhaled or swallowed. If they are inhaled, they can cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and pleural diseases. These effects can take up to 40 years to develop."
The Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia estimates the number of people diagnosed with asbestos related diseases will not peak until 2020 - by then there will be 13,000 cases of mesothelioma and up to 40,000 cases of asbestos-related lung cancer.... 53,000 cases of incurable cancer caused by asbestos over the next 20 years. (Estimated by Prof Henderson - Flinders University)
Mr Hallett said that thousands of houses built in Australia before the 1990's may contain some asbestos. Because of its attributes to resist heat, flexibility and adhesiveness, it was used as a form of insulation around the pipes behind radiators or wood-burning stoves, used for roofing, eaves, shingles, wall cladding and in some plaster and paint.
“In most cases the presence of asbestos products in houses is no cause for alarm and it should be left in place. In the past asbestos was extensively used in many products, one of the most common being 'a/c sheeting' or asbestos cement. These sheets were most often used for cladding (sometimes known as 'fibro') and roofing.
“Building materials containing asbestos, such as internal walls or asbestos cement sheet roofing, that are in good condition should not pose a risk and can be left in place unless broken, deteriorating, or disturbed in such a way that dust containing asbestos fibres is produced. In this case, removal of the sheeting would probably be wise; however, it should only be done by licensed asbestos removalists,” he said.
WorkSafe Victoria suggest a large amount of asbestos containing material is still present in the community, and there is a significant risk, particularly for workers carrying out asbestos removal, as well as refurbishment and demolition work. Risk to workers is now most likely to arise during asbestos removal or during renovation or maintenance work that disturbs asbestos. As well as asbestos removalists, other tradespeople who may come into contact with asbestos include carpenters, electricians, plumbers and demolition contractors.
When called in to do pre-purchase property inspections and design concepts, Archicentre is often alarmed to find renovations have been started involving asbestos dust, without the owners receiving specialist advice from licensed asbestos removalists.
Removal and disposal of asbestos cement sheet should only be undertaken by a licensed asbestos removal company. Asbestos removal can add substantially to the cost of renovation or maintenance.
Licensed specialist asbestos removalists will take precautions like:
* Wearing protective masks and clothing
* Using hand tools and not power tools for cutting
* Not abrading or breaking up the product whenever possible
* Thoroughly wetting the product prior to working with it
* Working outdoors rather than indoors, and
* Wetting any residue prior to sweeping
“We advise home owners undertaking any renovation of their home to have a health and safety plan in place if they are doing it themselves,” said Mr Hallet.
“If professional builders or tradesmen are undertaking the renovation then part of the contract should clearly include a reference to health and safety matters and current public risk insurance policy. It is important to have regular inspections throughout the project to ensure the builder is complying with the health and safety issues in the contract.
“The bottomline is that people need to realise that a renovation can be extremely hazardous and there needs to be constant monitoring of the site to ensure the families' safety,” he said.
New Regulations for Occupational Health and Safety covers asbestos. The asbestos part of the OHS Regulations imposes strict conditions on how to handle and control asbestos, including airborne asbestos fibres. The Regulations also outline safe methods for removing asbestos from the workplace, who is able to remove it, and in what circumstances.
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