Asbestos and health: what the risk really is

General information, not medical advice. Victoria’s Better Health Channel says to see your doctor if you think you have been exposed to asbestos.

Questions, answered from the sources

When does asbestos become a risk?: When fibres are released and inhaled. Queensland’s guidance says “asbestos is only a risk to health when asbestos fibres become airborne and are inhaled into the lungs”, that most fibres are removed by the body’s natural defences such as coughing, and that some can remain in the lungs. It is when asbestos is worked with or disturbed that the risk of disease increases. The national agency puts the same point another way: living or working in a building with asbestos is not necessarily dangerous, so long as the asbestos is sealed, undamaged and left alone.
Is any amount safe?: Two official statements sit side by side here, and both are worth reading in full. The national agency cites the World Health Organization’s position that no safe level of exposure to asbestos is known, with no threshold identified below which cancer will not occur; it adds that some people develop disease from minor exposure and that nobody can tell in advance who will. Queensland’s guidance says “The idea that 'one fibre will kill' is not supported by scientific evidence as everyone has had some exposure to asbestos fibres”, and that the background load in the lungs “appears to be tolerated by most people”.; They agree on the part that matters for a household. Queensland says the risk rises with the number of fibres inhaled and how often, and the agency says the only way to eliminate the risk is to avoid exposure to airborne fibres.
What about one exposure, such as a neighbour’s renovation?: Queensland’s guidance: “Occasional exposures to low concentrations of asbestos fibres, for example from house fires or renovation work on a neighbouring property, are likely to be associated with low risk to health.” Its guide for renovators adds a caution: some diseases, such as mesothelioma, “can result from brief periods of breathing in high concentration asbestos fibres without adequate protection”.
Who is most at risk?: Queensland says those who frequently do repairs, renovations and other work that releases fibres into the air. Victoria’s Better Health Channel adds that most people who develop asbestos-related disease worked in jobs where they often breathed in large amounts of fibres, and that families of asbestos workers may have been exposed through fibres brought home on work clothes.
Which diseases are linked to it?: Queensland names three, all of which can be fatal: asbestosis, a chronic lung disease involving scar tissue; mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen; and lung cancer. It says mesothelioma is rare, at about 1 in every 100,000 males and 0.3 in every 100,000 females. Better Health also lists pleural plaques and pleural thickening, and Victoria’s asbestos site says people whose only sign is pleural plaques usually have very little loss of lung function. Queensland’s guidance states that there are currently no cures for these diseases.
How long do they take?: Years. Queensland says they usually appear 10 or more years after exposure, and in some cases up to 50 years later, and that mesothelioma takes 20 to 50 years, with the highest risk around 30 to 35 years after exposure.
Does smoking change it?: Yes. Queensland says smoking multiplies by 10 the risk of death from lung cancer for asbestos workers. Better Health says smoking increases the risk of some asbestos-related diseases, and that stopping will help protect your health.
How many people does it affect?: The national agency estimates that 4000 Australians die each year from asbestos-related diseases. Queensland adds the context: except where there was high exposure at work, the incidence of asbestos-related disease is usually low.

If you think you were exposed

See your doctor. That is Better Health’s advice for anyone who thinks they have been exposed to asbestos. These notes cannot say what an exposure means for you.

Record it. The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency keeps the National Asbestos Exposure Register, an online form that asks people to register a potential asbestos exposure. The form can be filled in for yourself or on behalf of someone else.

If it happened at work. Safe Work Australia says a business has to arrange, and pay for, health monitoring of its workers who work with asbestos or who could be exposed through asbestos-related work.

Before anyone works on it

The national agency says it is “not recommended that you handle or remove asbestos yourself”, and in some places the law goes further: in the Australian Capital Territory any removal needs a licensed removalist, unless it is part of minor routine maintenance or other minor work, and in Queensland a home owner must be trained before taking out more than 10 square metres of non-friable material, and only a removalist holding a Class A licence may remove friable material. The agency adds that, even if you follow every safety step, hiring a licensed asbestos removalist who is trained, insured and equipped for the work is much safer and easier. It explains that non-friable asbestos can turn dangerous if it is disturbed, damaged or deteriorating, and it cites the World Health Organization’s position that no safe level of exposure to asbestos is known.

For asbestos in the home, the agency lists things you must never do when working with or removing asbestos materials: cut, drill, grind or sand them with power tools such as angle grinders, circular saws or electric sanders; clean them with high-pressure water or compressed air; dry-sweep the dust with a broom; or use a household vacuum cleaner on it, even one with a HEPA filter. It also warns never to use high-pressure water or any abrasive process, such as scrubbing, sanding or grinding, to clean an asbestos-cement roof or any other asbestos material. Queensland’s guidance for home renovators adds: do not “saw, sand, scrape or drill holes in asbestos materials”.

The same list says asbestos waste never goes in a household rubbish bin. Where it may go is set by each state and territory. In New South Wales, the NSW EPA says only to a landfill licensed to accept it. In Queensland, the state’s asbestos site says to a landfill that can lawfully take asbestos waste, usually one run by the local council. In Victoria, EPA Victoria says to a landfill authorised to receive it. For other states and territories, the national agency keeps a list of the organisations in each one that deal with asbestos.

Questions about your own health belong with your doctor. For the material in your home, the national agency says an asbestos professional can assess its condition and give you guidance on how to manage the risks.