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.
