Asbestos around the home

Sometimes there seems to be a large mismatch between what people say you should do and what is actually done and asbestos disposal demonstrates this very nicely

In the Perth Metro Area there are several sites where you can dispose of asbestos. I took my 12 sheets (325kg) to Waste Stream in Kwinana (they charged me $45 a tonne or part thereof). I called them before hand to ask about transport and wrapping etc, They said they didn't care but that local councils might so ask them. I called my council and they said it should be wrapped in plastic and marked asbestos. I duly forked out $30 for a roll of black plastic and wearing my overalls, gloves and expensive dust mask I wrapped and maked the sheets and stuck them in the trusty Mitsubish van.

On my way to Waste Stream I was passed by a car towing a trailer piled high with fraying asbestos sheets, no wrapping nothing. At Waste Stream the whole site was was covered in dust, even the computer keyboards in the office were dusty as.

When I asked for directions to the disposal site they said follow the trucks up the hill and look for all the broken asbestos. Sure enough their hill is one giant hill of building waste including a lot of asbestos. At the top there was an area of about 10 acres of broken asbestos occasionally being covered with a layer of dirt. Two large bulldozers were constantly driving back and forth across the sheets of asbestos to crush them down, less than half were covered in plastic, and there was dust everywhere.

The town of Kwinana is only a km away - I've wondered if the authories know all about this?

Our whole house (built 1928) is clad in asbestos sheeting. Asbestos sheeting for the external walls, thick corrugated sheeting for the roof. 'Tis all a drab grey colour, looks like cement sheeting except 'tis old, old, old... A new(ish) neighbour has rung the local council several times complaining about it, along with other whinges. (Our pool's too dirty. He doesn't like our trees. The frogs in our pond are too noisy. We leave lights on all night. :rolleyes: )

The council inspector came out, took a look, asked us whether we had been cutting/drilling any of the cladding (no... we're not that stupid) then went next door and told the idjut to stop wasting his time and presented him with a bill. (I suspect the inspector has had enough of the bloke too. :D )

Over the years we've arranged several inspections for various reasons and the answer to date has always been the same: basically, don't do anything. Leave it alone until there's a need... it's fine as it is, but once we start removal it will cost a fortune and will increase health risks for years to come.

Apparently the dust from removal is MUCH higher risk (and more persistent) than leaving it as is.

Was asbestos present inside of homes at all? Hector has a good question about the walls inside the rooms? Sure it was present and still is present in many homes but what were the dangerous areas there? I too am interested to find out if Asbestos was used inside rooms 40 50 years ago? Still waiting for the address in Box HIll of the testing company ?? any help?:)

From July 1, 2006 any tradesperson or builder removing more than 10M2 of asbestos will need a B class asbestos license. You must prove you are familiar with the practises and procedures for removing asbestos material as per the nationalCode of Practice for the safe removal of Asbestos Don't know what, if any requirements will apply to owner builders, contact the Dept of Industrial Relations for more information. I just threw a flyer from said department in the bin as I'm not interested in doing the course or getting the ticket because my safe procedure WRT asbestos is to leave it alone.:rolleyes:

Mick the asbestophobe

Hi All,

Thought i'd chime in with my own 2 cents. I had to remove textured paint from an old housing commission home in Melbourne.

Thought i'd check out whether was asbestos first (as textured paints historically used asbestos).

Rang the local council (Monash) - pretty much useless, no testing service and no info about who might be able to test it for me.
Rang the EPA - no real help
Rang the Worksafe Victoria - no real help.

Followed Wildman's post from earlier in this thread and sent an email to Noel Arnold and Associates in Box Hill. They couldnt have been more helpful. I took a sample of the dried paint in and they tested it for me for free.

Rang me back the same day with the good news that all was ok.

Given the huge number of DIYers in Australia and given the cost medical bills associated with just one case of asbestosis or mesothelioma you'd think the government would provide this sort of service.

Regards,
Cal

PS Thanks for the lead Wildman!:)

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Originally Posted by some_one

Was asbestos present inside of homes at all? Hector has a good question about the walls inside the rooms? Sure it was present and still is present in many homes but what were the dangerous areas there? I too am interested to find out if Asbestos was used inside rooms 40 50 years ago? Still waiting for the address in Box HIll of the testing company ?? any help?:)

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<table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="95%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="180">Address:</td><td>Level 3/818 Whitehorse Road,
Box Hill,
VIC, 3128</td></tr> <tr><td width="180">Telephone:</td><td>(03) 9890 8811</td></tr> <tr><td width="180">Fax:</td><td>(03) 9890 8911</td></tr> <tr><td width="180">Email:</td><td>[email protected]</td></tr></tbody></table>

Anyone thinking about removing or paying someone to remove asbestos should read this: http://www.nohsc.gov.au/PDF/temp/Saf...ofPractice.pdf

Qld govt has some resources here: http://www.dir.qld.gov.au/workplace/...stos/index.htm

I recently removed some asbestos sheets from my kitchen and bathroom, prior to 1 July. About 5 partial sheets all up.

Asbestos in the bathroom was marked on the back with a "Tilux" label. Asbestos in the kitchen had nothing.

Thankfully the tilux was secured with plastic stripping around the edges which meant the sheets could easily be removed without any breakage. Before I did it everything was sprayed down with liberally a mix of water and PVA glue and immediately placed on 200 micron plastic and wrapped before removal. Overalls and shoes were bagged and disposed with the sheeting. Ceiling in the bathroom is asbestos - just lined straight over it.

Kitchen had a couple of sheets. Nailed to the wall. Pretty much got it all without breaking though had one piece break a little. Removal was done slowly and with both sides of the sheet damp, so hopefully minimal dust generated if any. After I finished all the timber was sprayed down with PVA glue to secure any remaining dust.

Finally the vinyl on the kitchen floor had a paper backing which I assumed was asbestos. Thankfully it was glued to masonite so was able to cut it with a stanley knife (after spraying down with water) so masonite and vinyl came up together. Again straight into the plastic.

To remove from site I ordered an asbestos bin. It is supplied with plastic and asbestos stickers. Loaded up asbestos, then filled bin with anything else I had to throw (doesn't only have to be asbestos). Filled to 2/3 full then wrapped over the plastic, secured with tape and attached asbestos stickers. Called company to pick it up. Inspected. Gone.

Best thing was I didn't have to worry about taking sheets to the dump and breathing someone else's mistake. Best $200 or so I've spent.

In the end, I'm pretty sure I've been exposed to small amounts of asbestos dust - demolition work at my house years ago by a builder meant cement sheeting was bulldozed and taken away while I wasn't home (highly likely it contained asbestos). I know I broke a piece of that tilux years ago by accident before asbestos was known to average consumers. My dice has been rolled. The fact of the matter is it is in the air already and we're all breathing some amount of it. No reason to be complacent though. I bought the missus a good vacuum with HEPA filters just incase there is any around the house.

BTW quotes to remove were around $25 a square meter. I've heard horror stories about removal and figured if I did it myself I could control how it was done - it is me that lives in the house after it's done not them. Now (post July 1) you can't and nor can you take it to Brisbane city council dumps anymore - so get the pros in.

PS ceiling in kitchen appears to be lined with some sort of grey cardboard like substance about 5mm thick. Anyone know what that is? I've assumed it is bad and have lined over it. Will be using hole from existing light fitting, so no new drilling.

Just to add another question,

Having just renovated our laundry and cutting out sheeting to fix up old holes and make room for new ones, I was told 1/2 way through by my plumber that the sheeting could contain asbestos.
The house was built in NSW in 1972, any idea when they stopped using asbestos sheeting?? The 40's and 50's have been bandied around above, but I was wondering when they actually stopped using it

G'Day Shannon,
Asbestos was withdrawn in the early 80s (1982 springs to mind but I'm not sure). My house was built in 1980 and is full of it.

Cheers
Pat

Hi Guys,
Sorry to drag up an older thread, however I think this is probably one of the best Asbestos threads that I have been able to find on the forum.

Due to the changes in the law in particular to QLD (not sure about elsewhere) I decided to do some investigations about licencing. This is mainly due to me just purchasing a house which Im guessing contains asbestos. (I dont move to Brissy until August so I cant check). Using rough calculations I need to remove about 70m2 of fibro.

I contacted the HIA in Cairns about doing the course to attain a B class licence. I can do a 2 - 3 hour course for $195 to then be licenced. I need to contact some companies in Brissy to get an estimate of costs as to whether its cost effective for me to do the course. From some of the figures people have mentioned around the forum, Im thinking I wouldnt even get a trady to turn up for $195 let alone remove all the Asbestos sheeting :)

I dont plan to do this commercially, I just dont want to throw $2000 down the tube when it could be used on building materials instead. If it was a tough removal I would get contractors to do it, but all I am doing is removing sheeting from under the house to close in underneath.

I hope this helps someone who was looking for the same information as me. Also I would like to know of anyones feedback in Brissy as to how much it would cost to have that amount of sheeting removed. If I do the course I would expect my only outgoing costs would be a respirator, disposable overalls, black plastic and a company to supply a skip for asbestos.

Cheers
Steve

sorry for the lack of brissy data, but in nSW (the nanny state - so rules should be tougher down here) that amount of fibro can fit in a 2 or 3 cubic metre bin. they are about $400 or so to get. They are lined with black plastic - you reasonably carefully put all the sheets in, and thenthe plastioc is covered back over and taped up with duct tape.

look in the yellow pages under rubbish removal. As long as you are carrying and placing it in the bin its not such a big drama. You are talking bonded fibre, so the risk is nil to you as long as you dont start cutting it with a saw or smashing it into a million pieces while under the house or something stupid.

I would have thought that the only reason for a license is if you want to do it commercially. Homeowners are mostly free to do as they please, and if all else fails, ignornace is an excellant defence! :D

Our place was built around the turn of the century (18-1900's, that is! :wink: ) and is made of asbestos. Asbestos sheet clad external walls, corrugated asbestos for the roof.

A new neighbour complained to the council (he's a whinging back-stabbing bastard who's nice as pie to your face. Can you tell I can't stand him? :rolleyes: ) and got politely told to mind his own business.

The council's of the mind that there's more risk in trying to remove the stuff than there is in leaving it where it is... and Thank God for that, I say! :2tsup:

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Originally Posted by pharmaboy2

I would have thought that the only reason for a license is if you want to do it commercially. Homeowners are mostly free to do as they please, and if all else fails, ignornace is an excellant defence! :D

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Hi Pharmaboy, unfortunately due to new laws in QLD, see post #52 above or https://www.woodworkforums.com/showpo...4&postcount=52, you will see that there is new regulations in place, in QLD anyhow. Ignorance is a great defence, but Brisbane City Council is making it harder to dispose of Asbestos, so for me it will be easier to do the 3 hour, $195 course.

Absolutely correct Ausyuppy. You will get turned away from the tip if you don't have a licence. An asbestos company I got a quote from said people (and cowboy removal companies) are always ringing them to get them to legally dispose of the material they have removed. They happily do it and charge a premium.

Hi Darcy,
Yep I can imagine there would be some rogue traders out there. In some ways I would feel better if I did it myself. Some of the horror stories I have seen where they leave more of a mess than when they started. At least if I do it, I know I will take my time and avoid creating a dust storm.

When the time comes close, hopefully people on here may be able to recommend a skip company that is reasonably priced and can pickup the sheeting on completion.

Cheers
Steve