What is fibro?
“Fibro” is an abbreviation for “fibrous cement sheet”. It’s a building product that uses a fibrous material – most commonly asbestos – to reinforce thin cement sheets.
Although asbestos-containing fibro has been used all around the world, historically Australia manufactured most of the world’s fibro, and also had the highest rates of fibro use. Entire suburbs in the post-war building boom were largely constructed of fibro, creating “fibro belts” in all Australian cities.
What types of fibro are there?
The most common types of fibro are flat sheets used for ceilings and walls, and corrugated sheets used for ceilings (also known as “super six” roofing).
Corrugated fibro roofing (Source: Billbeee at en.wikipedia)
Other types of fibro include “Tilux” wet area sheeting, water and draining pipes, and moulded products.
Does all fibro contain asbestos?
No. The use of asbestos in fibro was phased out during the 1980s, and stopped entirely by 1987. Nowadays, fibro is reinforced with cellulose rather than asbestos.
However, fibro is nowhere near as popular a material as it used to be. If your home contains fibro, there’s a strong likelihood that it is the older, asbestos-containing variety.
Is asbestos-containing fibro dangerous?
Not necessarily. Fibro is a type of “bonded” asbestos, meaning that if it’s in good condition and left undisturbed, there’s no danger of asbestos fibres being released into the atmosphere.
However, that’s a big “if”! A number of things can happen to break down fibro, including:
- general weathering, especially on fibro roofs exposed to the elements
- hail damage
- fire damage
- home renovations in which the fibro is drilled into or otherwise disturbed
All of these things carry the risk of making the asbestos “friable”, meaning that you could breathe in asbestos fibres, increasing your risk of severe respiratory illnesses such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
What precautions should I take when dealing with fibro?
If you’ve found something in your house or workplace that you think might be asbestos from damaged fibro, the best thing to do is have a sample tested by Airsafe. We’ll get a definitive answer to you within a day. (Please note, we need a physical sample; we can’t give you an answer based on you describing the material over the phone.)
If you’re planning renovations in a property you suspect contains asbestos in fibro, your best bet is to get an asbestos survey from Airsafe. We’ll be happy to give you a quick quote for a household asbestos survey or a commercial asbestos survey.
What if I need to remove fibro?
If you’re removing more than 10 square metres of fibro, you must engage a licensed asbestos removal contractor. Contact Airsafe on (02) 9555 9034 for a recommendation – we work with asbestos removal contractors all over NSW, and we only recommend the best.
More information
AsbestosAwareness.com.au has a wealth of information on asbestos in the home.
Most of us know that exposure to lead can endanger our health, and especially that of our children. But according to a recent article, there may be a link between lead exposure and levels of violent crime. So it turns out that lead may endanger our whole society.
In the January/February 2013 issue of US magazine Mother Jones, journalist Kevin Drum starts with a striking statistic: over the past two decades, rates of violent crime in the US have fallen steadily. And this has happened all over the country, so it can’t be attributed entirely to policing strategies in individual cities like New York.
Nor is the drop in crime just due to economic good times, since crime has kept dropping even during the current US recession. In a similar way, when anything else is proposed as the reason for the fall in crime rates, the statistics end up showing otherwise.
One statistic, however, does shows a close correlation to violent crime rates, and that’s the amount of lead in the atmosphere:
The biggest source of lead in the postwar era…was leaded gasoline. And if you chart the rise and fall of atmospheric lead caused by the rise and fall of leaded gasoline consumption, you get a pretty simple upside-down U: Lead emissions from tailpipes rose steadily from the early ’40s through the early ’70s, nearly quadrupling over that period. Then, as unleaded gasoline began to replace leaded gasoline, emissions plummeted.
This is a very similar curve followed by rates of violent crime – not only in the US but in Australia, New Zealand, and many other Western countries where leaded petrol was outlawed in new cars.
Of course, just because two sets of statistics look similar, that doesn’t mean one thing causes the other. But we already know that lead exposure during childhood – even at small levels – is linked to lower IQ levels and behavioural disorders such as ADHD, both of which have a statistical correlation with anti-social and criminal behaviour.
Despite unleaded petrol, lead is still all around us
The good news is that the vast majority of vehicles on the road are no longer releasing lead particles into the atmosphere. However, lead particles emitted in the past are still very much around, settling into soil, especially in inner city areas. And there are other sources of lead, including paint, especially in older houses.
Drum believes the evidence is strong enough to justify a national initiative to clean up lead in the US – something Airsafe would support in Australia as well. In the meantime, there are steps you can take to minimise your children’s exposure to lead, as outlined by Sarah Zhang in a follow-up article.
Remember, Airsafe offers a quick and easy lead testing service, so if you’re not sure whether you have lead paint in your home or workplace, we can put your mind at rest.
At Airsafe, we strongly believe that you should use air monitoring during any asbestos removal works. If an asbestos removal contractor says to you “no worries mate, the asbestos isn’t friable so you don’t need air monitoring”, we suggest you look for a different contractor (or ask us to recommend one).
It’s true that the biggest danger from asbestos comes when it’s friable – that is, when it crumbles easily and can release fibres into the atmosphere. The thing is, all forms of asbestos can become friable under certain conditions. Asbestos roofing can become friable when it’s damaged by hail or weathered over many years. Fibro walls can become friable when they are drilled through or otherwise damaged during renovations.
In other words, there’s no absolute distinction between friable and non-friable (or “bonded”) asbestos. For true peace of mind, you’ll always want to pay that little bit extra for air monitoring.
Air monitoring isn’t just for your benefit
But even if you were willing to take the risk, there’d be another good reason to have air monitoring in place: your neighbours. Imagine a neighbour comes up to you and says “Is that an asbestos roof you’re moving there? Are you sure that’s safe?” What do you tell them? “It’s OK, this guy says it’s non-friable so there’s no risk”…is that going to satisfy them? Wouldn’t you rather be able to say “It’s OK, we’re monitoring the air to make absolutely sure there’s no risk”?
Now imagine that instead of politely approaching you, your neighbour complains to your local council or WorkCover. If it does in fact turn out that you haven’t followed the proper precautions, you could end up being legally liable, especially if the contractor you’ve hired – the one who was happy to go ahead without air monitoring – hasn’t taken out public liability insurance.
We’ve seen it happen! So don’t risk your family’s health and good relations with your neighbours: if you need asbestos removed in Sydney or NSW, get in touch with Airsafe. We’ll recommend a contractor who won’t cut corners. If you’re outside NSW, see our guide to choosing a reliable asbestos removal contractor.
Popular TV home renovation shows may be contributing to a spike in asbestos-related disease, especially among women.
According to Barry Robson, president of the Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia, programs like The Block, The Renovators and Better Homes and Gardens are encouraging homeowners to embark on DIY projects, without taking enough care to warn them of the risks of asbestos:
Unfortunately we’re heading for a third wave of victims and their families because home renovation is getting so big. An unfortunate byproduct of this is the increase in the number of women now presenting with meso [mesothelioma].
Around one in three Australian homes contains asbestos. Asbestos may not pose a risk if undisturbed, but when renovators drill through walls, rip up floor tiles, and so on, they risk releasing asbestos fibres into the air. Breathing in these fibres can lead to asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma – usually after a long delay.
Protect yourself against asbestos risks
Fortunately, if you’re planning renovations, you don’t have to rely on wishful thinking. You can get peace of mind about asbestos by having a comprehensive asbestos survey. If your renovations are major, your council might require you to get an asbestos survey before they will issue a construction certificate. But even if it’s not a requirement, an asbestos survey can put your mind at rest.
A word of warning: don’t be tempted by cut-price asbestos survey offers. At Airsafe, we often find ourselves having to re-survey houses that have had a low-cost survey rejected by council – for instance, because they’ve tried to cut corners on asbestos sample testing. (At Airsafe, we have our own laboratory, so we don’t have to cut corners.) It’s worth paying a little bit extra for true peace of mind. Once you have our definitive findings and advice, you can go ahead and renovate to your heart’s content!
Research published in 2012 showed 100,000 Australian children may be at risk from exposure to lead in paint, even at levels then deemed acceptable.
In a letter to the Medical Journal of Australia, researchers Chris Winder of the Australian Catholic University and Bruce Lanphear or Simon Fraser University in Canada warned that lead levels in the blood of children aged up to four could cause a range of learning and behavioural issues.
At the time, guidelines issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommended lead levels below 10 micrograms per decilitre of blood. However, the researchers claim that health problems are being seen in children with levels lower than this:
New and overwhelming evidence indicates that even levels below 5 micrograms per decilitre are associated with a range of adverse health outcomes, including decreased intelligence and academic achievement, sociobehavioural problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning difficulties, oppositional and conduct disorders and delinquency.
In response to this and other research, the NHMRC have since changed their guidelines.
Lead paint the most common cause of exposure
Some former lead mining areas in Australia have high residual levels of lead, but the most common cause of exposure is actually lead in paint, which is still found very frequently in houses built before 1976.
There’s a particularly high chance of lead exposure when a home containing lead paint is undergoing renovations, as this can release particles containing lead into the air. But even where the lead paint is undisturbed, small children will sometimes pick at it and eat it.
What householders can do about lead in paint
If you’re concerned about lead paint in your home, the first thing to do is have a sample tested in a NATA accredited laboratory by a company like Airsafe. This is the only way to tell for sure whether paint contains lead – we can’t tell you over the phone.
To get a definitive answer fast, start by collecting a sample for lead testing. If your sample does turn out to be lead, we’ll give you sound advice on what to do next.
At Airsafe, we try not to put too much emphasis the human side of asbestos – the fact that it’s responsible for so many thousands of deaths. Emotions tend to run high around asbestos anyway, so we try to take a practical, problem-solving approach.
But sometimes, it’s good to be reminded why we care so much about asbestos. The story of Bernie Banton is one such reminder.
Bernie Banton is only one of many thousands who have died from asbestos-related diseases, but he’s become the most famous. After working for many years in a facility that manufactured asbestos products, Banton was diagnosed with both asbestosis and mesothelioma. He became the public face of the political and legal campaign to achieve compensation for those with asbestos-related illnesses.
If you’re concerned about possible asbestos in your home or workplace, remember Airsafe offers NATA-accredited asbestos sample testing. If you’d like to honour Bernie Banton’s legacy, consider supporting the Bernie Banton Foundation.
You may have read about the risks of asbestos in electrical meter boxes.
The issue affects meter boards that were installed before 1983, in as many as 2 million homes. These boards contain high concentrations of chrysotile (white) asbestos. When the meter board is drilled into, as often happens during electrical work, the asbestos becomes friable (crumbly), releasing asbestos fibres which can potentially be breathed in by unwary householders or electrical workers.
The issue hit the news in 2012 when NSW electricity company Endeavour Energy issued a safety alert advising its workers to wear face masks when working on meter boards. This prompted the Electrical Trades Union to go one step further, advising its members not to work at all on electrical meter boards in pre-1983 houses unless they are certified free of asbestos.
I suspect asbestos in my meter box: What should I do?
If your home or office was built before 1983, there’s a high probability that your electricity meter board contains asbestos. If you’ve had electrical work done, there’s also a strong likelihood that the board was drilled without proper precautions, so there may be loose asbestos dust that could be inhaled.
We therefore recommend being very careful around your electricity meter. If you need any electrical work done, it should be done under asbestos removal conditions.
Airsafe can recommend a reliable asbestos removal contractor in Sydney or NSW. We also offer NATA-accredited asbestos sample testing (but we can’t tell you over the phone whether your meter box contains asbestos.)
It’s difficult to generalise about the cost of asbestos removal. It depends on the type of asbestos to be removed and what’s involved in the removal.
So by all means, get a number of quotes for asbestos removal. But don’t just accept the cheapest quote at face value. There are a couple of things you shouldn’t do without, even if they increase the cost.
Don’t do asbestos removal without air monitoring
It’s very important to have air monitoring in place during asbestos removal, to make sure no asbestos fibres are released into the surrounding atmosphere.
Some asbestos removal contractors will try to tell you that air monitoring is not necessary, especially when removing “non-friable” (bonded) forms of asbestos like fibro sheeting.
At Airsafe, we strongly disagree: we recommend air monitoring for all asbestos removal projects. We don’t say that because air monitoring is a service we offer ourselves: we say it because we’ve learnt from long experience in the industry that it’s a necessary precaution. Non-friable asbestos can potentially become friable through wear and tear.
Even leaving aside the actual level of risk, remember that you’re not the only person with potential health concerns: you have neighbours who might understandably get the jitters if they find out you’ve been removing asbestos. Being able to show them a clean air monitoring report will reassure them a lot more than just saying “yes, it’s asbestos, but this bloke says there’s no risk”. It will stop any potential complaints or legal action in their tracks.
Your asbestos removalist must be licensed and insured
You should never employ an asbestos removal contractor who doesn’t have the necessary insurance and license. See more information on what you should ask for from an asbestos removalist.
If you live in Sydney or NSW and need to hire an asbestos removalist, your best option is to call Airsafe on (02) 9555 9034. We’ll recommend one of our small, trusted list of asbestos removal contractors who offer good value while taking the necessary precautions.
At Airsafe, one of the questions we most often get asked by householders and businesses is “I’ve found something suspicious in my house. How do I test it to find out if it’s asbestos?”
The short answer is: you can’t test for asbestos yourself. There’s no way of telling with the naked eye whether a substance is asbestos. Nor is there anything you can buy to do an asbestos test at home. So-called “asbestos testing kits“, sold in hardware stores, are just a set of tools for collecting asbestos samples, with a voucher to get testing done in a laboratory.
Asbestos testing in a laboratory
Laboratory testing is simply the only way to tell if something is or isn’t asbestos. Fortunately, laboratory testing is easy to organise: all you need to do is collect a sample and get it to a NATA accredited laboratory like Airsafe’s. See instructions on collecting a sample for asbestos testing.
Our laboratory will examine the asbestos using a process known as Polarised Light Microscopy (PLM). We’ll get back to you quickly with a definitive answer. If the sample does turn out to be asbestos, we’ll give you helpful advice on what to do next.
Asbestos is too serious to take chances with. Get the experts involved!