Australian home-owners should take note of the asbestos dangers associated with home renovations. Throughout the year, and especially over summer, Australians renovate their homes, but what they often fail to keep in mind is that one-third of Australian houses contain traces of asbestos.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is extremely versatile; that is, it is water resistant and able to withstand heat, erosion and decay. Due to its versatility, asbestos was once an extremely popular choice in the construction of Australian buildings and houses. Until the mid 1980s in NSW, asbestos was often used by building constructors in a multitude of ways, including as flooring underlay, tile adhesives and as part of concrete. As such, if your house was constructed or renovated during or before the mid-1980s, it is likely that asbestos fibres are still present in your home.

When disturbed, asbestos releases detrimental fine particles of dust containing asbestos fibres. The inhalation of asbestos fibres can subsequently lead to asbestos related diseases, including mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. Although mesothelioma treatment in Australia is available, mesothelioma is often fatal.

As such, home owners, when renovating, should assume that they are dealing with asbestos and take extreme caution. The safest way to prevent exposure to asbestos is to contract a licenced asbestos remover. It is crucial that these asbestos warnings are not taken lightly.

There is legislation available to those who have contracted asbestos related diseases in some Australian states, including NSW and Victoria. These asbestos claims in New South Wales and Victoria include both asbestosis compensation and mesothelioma compensation.

The asbestos threat continues for those people that are returning to what is left of their properties after they have been damaged by fires and floods.

One major fear in New South Wales is that asbestos fibres in homes which were destroyed by the Warrumbungle fire have already contaminated the area. The Warrumbungle Shire is currently working on an asbestos management plan after their first assessment showed that 31 homes out of 36 damaged in the fire contained asbestos.

Residents are being seriously warned not to forget about the dangerous possibility of being exposed to asbestos when going through what remains of their homes and possessions. They are being advised to wear masks and disposable suits before handling any objects.

These precautions are all necessary as exposure to asbestos can lead to an individual contracting an asbestos related disease such as mesothelioma or asbestosis. As it is often the case that buildings constructed before the mid 1980s contain asbestos, it is expected that future natural disasters will see asbestos fibres be released again.

For those that do contract asbestos related diseases there is legislation in place in some Australian states including NSW and Victoria to help them pursue an asbestos compensation claim in Australia. These claims include both asbestosis compensation and mesothelioma compensation.

Queensland Health has warned people returning to their homes after the floods to be aware of the possible risk of being exposed to asbestos. Homes that were built earlier than the mid 1980s may contain toxic asbestos as it was a common building material prior to this time.

These precautions are extremely important as even minimal exposure to asbestos can lead to a person contracting an asbestos related disease such as mesothelioma. Residents must be aware of the risks associated with asbestos so they are cautious when returning to their homes, especially because the number people diagnosed with mesothelioma is expected to rise.

Unfortunately, many people from Queensland and other states in Australia have developed asbestos related conditions such as mesothelioma in the past following relatively short periods of asbestos exposure

Western Australian Professor Bruce Robinson has a dream to create a vaccine and a new mesothelioma treatment, which is the cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

While he continues to work hard toward his new vision, his past accomplishments have been recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours list. Professor Robinson accepted the award humbly saying that Western Australia has the best asbestos researchers in the world and this award is about all of them not just him.

Professor Robinson and his team have achieved a lot of world firsts, including the world first blood test for mesothelioma and the first gene therapy. While their work is very sad as they are taking care of patients with asbestos related cancers which are often fatal, Professor Robinson has said this provides him with the motivation to keep on working toward his goals.

Research and support for mesothelioma is extremely important to reduce the number of people diagnosed with the disease as the number of new cases is expected to peak within the next decade. Many Australians have been affected by this condition.