Asbestos around the home

[Exador]

do you think the people who made the asbestos should assist with the disposal of it now it has been proven hazardous, or is that naive crazy talk? Kiwigeo, how far underground is asbestos found in its natural state?Do you know from which era?

It's all over the ground in its natural state. I worked on the rock sources for the rail line to the East Angeles mine (quite near Marble Bar) and the rock is all full of asbestos. It's no worries at all, as long as the fibres aren't floating around free and getting into lungs. All of our sampling and testing was done with a handy spray bottle of water close by that was kept busy wetting down the material to prevent dust.

[Shedhand]

For the average joe any asbestos in free form is dangerous. White through brown to blue - its just a matter of degree of potential damage to humans.

There were a number of asbestos sheeting products produced in the 50's and 60's marketed under different names. The most common here in Tasmania was called Tasbestos and was produced by the Goliath Cement Company at Railton.

For those who don't know, the two most serious illnesses caused by ingesting asbestos fibres are mesothelioma and asbestosis. Ill effects are usually not evident until 30 to 40 years after exposure. There is no cure for either and both are terminal.

The sheet products are essentially safe in domestic situations provided they are not disturbed. When painted or sealed it poses no threat to health.

Removal is best left to licensed operators. Collex are licensed to remove and dispose of asbestos products.

Generally speaking, council waste transfer stations won't accept asbestos products. However, your local council can advise where designated disposal areas are.

Some councils allow a resident to remove his/her asbestos from the home. Strict guidelines apply.
In m y own case, bylaws allowed me to remove 20 sq metres a day myself. I had to wear a full body protective suit, a respirator with filters designed for asbestos dust protection and the stuff had to be wrapped and taped in 200 micron plastic. It cost me about 300 bucks all up to get rid of it all (my old shed).

Its best to assume that any cement sheet product installed before the mid 1980's contains asbestos of one type or other. I know that JH 'Fibre' cement sheeting was generally available from about 1982 when the asbestos was replaced with cellulose. This was also the time when Wittenoom in WA became a hot topic and led to the epidemic of mesothelioma and asbestosis deaths in this country.

From a personal perspective, whilst I sympathise with those who suffer from the terminal effects of exposure, (my wife's uncle died 3 months after diagnosis) I believe the worst is yet to come. Wittenoom is Australia's Chernobyl. James Hardie should have been forced to set up and fund a specialist asbestos removal company to assist homeowners to remove their products when required. At the very least homeowners should be able to bill the company for the expense of removal and disposal.

Finally, sheeting products are not the only danger in the family home. May older homes have asbestos lagging around plumbing. Any homes which have the older style header tanks for hot water will likely have lagged pipes. Old ovens and wood burners have asbestos piping as a sealant for glass and metal to metal surfaces. For home mechanics, brake pads in older cars contain asbestos which is present in the dust which builds up around the in side of tyre rims.

Be careful, be very careful. :eek:

Sorry to go on about this but I'm a bit of evangilist on the subject. This is a very dangerous and life threatening material and it pi$$es me off no end that James Hardie has been allowed to get away with abrogating its responsibility for a national cleanup of the crap.

Anyway I hope this info is useful. At the end of the day, if in doubt get advice from the local Council, Worksafe office or Collex.

Cheers

[Bluegum]

Our home was built in 1954, internally lined with fibro. I have removed it out of 1 bedroom and found stamp on the back of it Hardies fibrolite. I wrang Hardies and i was fobbed off to WHS. I did how ever have a piece of it tested and found it to be white asbestos. I simply knocked the heads off the nails and removed it as a whole sheet and wet it down in the room before placing it in plastic and wrapping it up. Any residue on the stud I painted over it after vaccuuming the room with a vacumm that had a water reservior and 5 stage hepa filter. The water trapped any particles and the paint sealed anything that may have been left of the studs. Further inspection through our home I have found it starting to break down in our hall way. Till I either remove this or have it removed I will paint over it and leave it till I need to remove it. I did remove the carpet prior to removal of the sheets as I was advised that it would be a waste of time leaving the carpet in place as particles will be trapped in it. :eek: :eek:

[some_one]

I am in agreement with what Shedhand has said, but recently I was listerning to the radio and the speaker made a very good comment that,"I cannot remember the last time someone lost their job in this country when they did something wrong, all most got were golden hand shakes". How true!! So same with JH probably!! So the cladding is fine and how do we know that the sheeting is becoming dangerous is there a change in the way the sheet appears or asbestos is inert and stays in same form? Is it posible to render is or is it sensible to render it?:confused:

[Shedhand]

I am in agreement with what Shedhand has said, but recently I was listerning to the radio and the speaker made a very good comment that,"I cannot remember the last time someone lost their job in this country when they did something wrong, all most got were golden hand shakes". How true!! So same with JH probably!! So the cladding is fine and how do we know that the sheeting is becoming dangerous is there a change in the way the sheet appears or asbestos is inert and stays in same form? Is it posible to render is or is it sensible to render it?:confused:

While the asbestos is wholely contained within the product, ie not broken or flaking, and it has been sealed with something like bondcrete or a good quality sealer undercoat it poses no threat to health according to the experts. Its only when allowed to fall into disrepair (like a lot of old backyard buildings) or when being removed that care needs to be taken.
Cheers

[some_one]

Well the sheeting is fine but a few places have me concerned so I will take photos and get the best advice then!

[Shedhand]

Well the sheeting is fine but a few places have me concerned so I will take photos and get the best advice then!

Good move mate.

[martrix]

great thread, lots of excellent information.
Just for example, once the exterior cladding of asbestos has been professionally removed from an entire house, what are the options for re-cladding?
Cement weather boards? Flat cement sheet with a textured render?

[echnidna]

Theres a few more choices,
Baltic pine weatherboards
Cedar weatherboards
Weathertex weatherboards (tempered hardboard)
Brick veneer
Plastic or steel cladding

[Wildman]

Hi All

Just lettin you know that you can get a sample of fibro tested for asbestos for free. I went to Noel Arnold and associates in Box Hill. If you just want them to check it and let you know what it is, the test is free and takes about 5 mins. If you want a full NATA endorsed written report, you get charged for it. here is the content of the email I got from them

Hello Ben,

We do test materials for the presence of asbestos, so we can help you out. With regards to pricing, there are two options:
* First, if the information is purely for yourself, and there won't be other people involved in the work, we can provide this service for free for a single sample.
* Second, if there are to be tradespeople involved in the works (including waste skip hire or waste transfer station/landfill operators), or if you need written confirmation for insurance or legal purposes, we offer a NATA-endorsed sample analysis report. This costs $80 + GST for the first sample. Subsequent samples work out at around $40 each.

A very small portion only is needed for analysis (a piece the size of a 50c piece is sufficient). This should be sampled carefully after wetting down the material, then placed in a kitchen clip-lock plastic bag. If you are providing samples from more than one location, please write the sample location on the bag.

Please drop the samples off in person, or use a courier service to transport them to our office (it is illegal to post dangerous goods in the mail). Our office is open from 0830 - 1700. The address is shown below.

Just for the record, I could not drive any nail in without splitting, there were clearly fibres present and they burnt when held to a match. The report came back asbestos free.

Cheers
Ben
.

[some_one]

My friend you ended the email part just before the most crucial bit .......the address in box hill...hummmm..can you provide the address for us please? thanks.

[GraemeCook]

I'd like to add a little to Shedhands informative series of posts, noting that we both live in Tassie.

Some ten years ago a neighbour and I became concerned that my shed might be constructed of asbestos, but we did not know for sure.

I rang the Department of Environment for advice and they sent a chap out two days later to inspect the shed. He brought a small microscope with a very bright light and confirmed that it was asbestos sheeting. He offered us four solutions:

* Professional removal,
* DIY wearing spacesuit, etc as detailed by shedhand,
* Paint it all over with accrylic paint, and keep the paint in good condition.
* encase in another cladding. eg cement sheet.

It might be worth checking with your local Dept of Environment to see if they can help or advise.

Cheers

Graeme

[chrisb691]

Hi All,

Was wondering if any body knows how does asbestos fibro looks like, is the fibro balck in colour. Did all fibro conatain asbestos in the 50's 60's.

A frind told me that normally you will find asbestos fibro around the outside of the house and in the bathrooms (wet areas), but you would never find asbestos fibro say in the bedrooms or living room.

I need to know this because the old house I just bought has fibro in the main bedroom and living room, and I (myself) want to replace it with plaster boards. Asbestos removal is very expensive....

Regards,
Hector.

Don't F*** around, a single inhaled fibre can result in asbestosis many years down the track, and that will seriously ruin your day. Get a piece tested, and if it is asbestos get proffessionals in. The money 'saved' by doing it yourself, can prove expensive (quality of life) in the long run.

[soundman]

here's a disturbing fact...

Until recently beer was filtered thru asbestos filters.:eek:

I'm not a beer drinker

cheers

[Barry_White]

Here is another disturbing fact, half the water pipes in Sydney were asbestos pipes.