Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those

around you to asbestos

Presented by:

Bret Baker

President of the

Asbestos Removal Contractors Association NSW

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

What is asbestos?• Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fibre mined from the earth. It is strong, flexible, and resistant to heat, chemicals and electrical conditions.• The three most common forms of asbestos are white (chrysotile), brown (amosite) and blue (crocidolite).

Asbestos properties• Asbestos has many properties that once made it attractive to industry including:

– stability when heated– strength under tension– chemical resistance– water resistance or absorbency (depending on type of asbestos)– suitability for weaving and reinforcing– electrical resistance

Past use• In the past, asbestos was used in around 3000 products manufactured worldwide, most commonly in the construction, car manufacturing and

textile industries.• It was generally manufactured in the following forms:

– fibrous (limpet asbestos)– woven (cloth, tape or sleeving)– wound (rope)– mixed with a binder, such as calcium silicate (to make asbestos cement or vinyl floor products containing asbestos).

• Because of its strength and its ability to resist heat and chemicals, asbestos was used in a range of insulation materials.• This means older commercial and industrial buildings may contain a variety of asbestos products, including non-friable asbestos. Older homes are

more likely to contain non-friable asbestos products such as asbestos-cement sheeting in walls and ceilings, or roof cladding made from corrugated asbestos-cement. Asbestos may be found in structures built as late as the mid- to late 1980s.

• Today, the use of asbestos is banned through Australia. This ban applies to manufacture, supply, storage, sale, use, reuse, installation and replacement of asbestos, except in special circumstances (e.g. removal and disposal of asbestos, bona fide research, etc.).

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

State Location Asbestos TypeNew South Wales Baryulgil Chrysotile

Woods Reef ChrysotileOrange district TremoliteGundagai district ActinoliteBroken Hill district Chrysotile

Tasmania Beaconsfield district Chrysotile, Amphibole Zeehan district Chrysotile

South Australia Robertstown CrocidoliteFlinders Rangers (Oraparinna Station) Crocidolite

Truro district Crocidolite, TremoliteCowell Chrysotile

Western Australia Lionel Chrysotile(Pilbara) Sloansville Chrysotile

Nunyeri ChrysotileWittenoom Gorges CrocidoliteYampire Gorge CrocidoliteColonial Gorge CrocidoliteBindi Bindi Anthophyllite

Australian Asbestos Mining HistorySummary of Mining History in Australia, 1880-1976

(Nevill, 1994; Imray & Neville, 1993)

Asbestos Cement Trading Product NamesThe following list shows approximate dates when typical products ceased to be manufactured with asbestos fibre:• Hardiflex 1981• Hardiplank 1981• Villaboard 1981• Versilux 1982• Harditherm 1984• Compressed 1984• Drain Pipe 1984• Super Six 1985• Highline 1985• Shadowline 1985• Coverline 1985• Roofing Accessories 1985• Pressure Pipe 1987

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

HEALTH EFFECTSOverview

Asbestos fibres enter the body when people breathe in or swallow airborne particles. These particles can then become embedded in the tissues of the respiratory or digestive systems.Asbestos is now recognised as a human carcinogen — a substance that can cause cancer. It can cause:– asbestosis (lung scarring)– mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the chest cavity)– lung cancer.

ASBESTOSIS• Asbestosis causes widespread interstitial fibrosis (scar tissue between the alveoli, spread over the lung).• It is difficult to distinguish from other causes of interstitial fibrosis.• Only confirmation of exposure to asbestos or detection of unusually high numbers of asbestos fibres in the lung is considered conclusive evidence of this disease.• The rate of onset of asbestosis is not related to the level of exposure.• However, the rate at which the disease progresses is related to the level of exposure.

MESOTHELIOMA• Mesothelioma is a tumour of the chest lining, abdominal lining and occasionally the heart lining.• It is a very rare disease — incidence is 1 in every 100,000 for males and 0.3 in every 100,000 for females.• Mesothelioma is not related to smoking.• Asbestos is not the only cause of this disease, but it is the most important cause in modern times.• Crocidolite is the most important asbestos-related factor, but amosite, chrysotile and tremolite are also linked.• This disease takes 20-50 years to appear, with the highest risk around 30-35 years after exposure.• It is typically dose-related, but in rare cases has been known to occur in patients with little known occupational exposure to asbestos.

LUNG CANCER• Lung cancer is relatively common among the general public and is the cancer most frequently associated with asbestos.• Tumours grow and eventually obstruct airways.• No characteristics specify a lung cancer as being caused by asbestos — we cannot distinguish a ‘cigarette’ lung cancer from an ‘asbestos’ lung cancer or ‘another’ lung cancer.• Smoking multiplies by 10 the risk of death due to lung cancer for asbestos workers.• Asbestos-related diseases take time to develop. They usually emerge at least 10 years after exposure, and sometimes as long as 50 years later. Currently there are no cures for these

diseases.

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

What is the risk?• Asbestos is only a health risk when extremely fine particles — known as respirable fibres — become airborne and are

inhaled. Respirable fibres are:– less than 3 microns* in diameter and– greater than 5 microns in length.

*(1 micron = 1/1000th of a millimetre)• These small fibres cannot be seen with the naked eye. They can enter the deepest parts of the lungs where they may stay,

causing disease.• The presence of asbestos materials in a building does not necessarily create a health risk. While the materials are

undisturbed and in sound condition, they will not generate airborne respirable fibres or create a health risk.

Risk factors• The likelihood of any particular person developing an asbestos-related illness depends on a number of factors, including:

– length of time a person is exposed to airborne asbestos fibres– concentration or levels of asbestos in the air breathed– individual susceptibility– size and type of asbestos fibres– influence of other factors, especially cigarette smoke. (Research has shown that smoking significantly increases the

risk of lung cancer in people who have been exposed to asbestos.)

“One fibre can kill”

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

Where is asbestos found?Simply it was such a commonly utilised material that it is found in many product and often in the following locations:

• Roofing• Roof insulation• Guttering• Water proofing membranes• Downpipes• Eaves• ceilings• Mastic • Insulation within air conditioning heater banks• Insulation around hot water pipes• Insulation on ceilings, around beams and columns• Wall cladding (internal and external)• Viny tiles• Glues and adhesives• Flooring (compressed board)• Packers above piers in subfloors• Fences• Sheds and garages• Debris and remnants of asbestos are often found on with ground and within the soil• If you are unsure, treat it as containing asbestos

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

And sometimes in new areas – where you may least expect it!

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

Renovating or Demolishing? Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos.

• So what do I do?

– Check before you start renovating or demolishing if there is any asbestos present– Ask some questions:

• When was the structure built – pre 1987?• Is there any plant or equipment built prior to 2004?• Does a Hazardous Materials Register exist? These generally list items such as

Synthetic Mineral Fibre (SMF), Lead Based Paint, PCB’s and Asbestos

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

• Do not attempt to remove asbestos with people around that are not suitably involved with the removal. Especially keep children and pets away from work areas

• Seal up the work area to mitigate cross contamination• Use the correct Personal Protective Equipment• Use correct removal techniques • Do not

– Use a domestic vacuum cleaner– cut it– drill it– sand it– scrape it– scrub it– waterblast it– demolish it– dump it– put it on the street for Council Pickup– place it in your domestic waste bin

but dispose of it correctly!

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

RecommendationLeave it to the experts:-• Trained, experienced, licenced, insured • Where can they be found? eg in NSW

www.arcansw.asn.au

www.workcover.nsw.gov.au

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos

QUESTIONS ?

Renovating or Demolishing?Some guidance on how to mitigate exposing yourself and those around you to asbestos