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If your home was built before 1990, asbestos can still be found anywhere inside or outside the house. While completely banned in Australia since 2003, this cancer-causing material was used in thousands of building products. Asbestos is dangerous if damaged, disturbed or has deteriorated. It poses a health risk if fibres become airborne and can be inhaled. If you’re renovating or making repairs around the home, be aware and stay safe.
Where can asbestos be found?
Find out where asbestos can be in your home. National Asbestos Awareness Week (22-27 November 2022) reminds home renovators and trades that the danger of asbestos is far from over and encourages everyone to Be Asbestos Ready when doing home renovations or maintenance.
Asbestos is found in 1 in 3 homes across Australia
Be Asbestos Ready
To stay safe fixing up your place, follow these simple steps.
1. Get in the know. Find out whether your home was built or renovated before 1990. Asbestos was used in more than 3,000 building products and can be found throughout the home in walls, bathrooms, ceilings, floors, laundries, kitchens, roofs, fences and garages.
2. Take it slow. Don’t damage or disturb asbestos materials and don’t remove asbestos material yourself. This can release dangerous asbestos fibres into the air.
3. Get a pro with the right gear. Contact a licensed asbestos professional for advice on where it’s located, and how to manage or remove it.
Every year in Australia, there are an estimated 4,000 deaths from asbestos-related diseases. This includes lung cancer and mesothelioma due to past exposure to asbestos.
By preventing exposure to asbestos fibres, asbestos-related diseases can be eliminated.
Council’s free asbestos collection service
City of Parramatta offers a free collection program for the safe disposal of bonded asbestos from households in the Parramatta Local Government Area.
Residents can register to have up to 10 square meters of bonded asbestos (fibro, cement sheeting, mouldings and pipe, floor underlay etc) collected from their property by a licensed contractor free of charge.
The material must be loose and not attached to timber, concrete or tiles. For more information or to pre-register for collection please call 9806 5544 or fill in the form on this page.
For quantities of more than 10 square metres, please visit the NSW EPA website for details of licensed facilities that accept household asbestos.
