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There are in excess of 3,000 known processed
asbestos products. The Home
Asbestos Identification Pak walkthrough presentation
features over 40 of the most common products you
will encounter in most homes in Australia.
Asbestos products were manufactured in two forms
- friable asbestos and non-friable asbetsos.
Non-Friable Asbetsos
Over 97% of the products in Australia were non-friable
material in which the Asbestos fibres were bonded
by cement, vinyl, resin or other similar material.
If accidentally damaged or broken these asbestos
products may release a few fibres initially but
will not continue to do so…
The top image shows corrugated asbestos sheet
roofing with signs of weathering. The next image
is broken asbestos cement fence sheet showing
the asbestos bonding materials. This needs to
be made safe to minimise additional fibre release.
The third image shows a splash back panel with
tiles over asbestos sheet.
Friable Asbestos
The hazardous friable asbestos is material which
can be crumbled, pulverised, or reduced to powder
by hand pressure. This may also include previously
non-friable material which becomes broken or damaged
by mechanical force.
As a general rule - If the Asbestos containing
material can be easily disturbed and become air
borne - by the effect of a breeze or simply creating
a breeze by walking past it - it is in a friable
state.
The fourth image presents examples of friable
rope and lagging. The last example is a woven
asbestos fire blanket.
As Asbestos products were very versatile they
could be easliy molded, shaped, cut drilled or
painted. There is no conclusive on-site testing
for the presence of asbestos. Asbestos products
can only conclusively be determined through laboratory
testing following sampling.
As a general rule, if you think the material is
asbestos - treat it as if it is asbestos until
proven through laboratory testing.
If you would like to know about how you can visually
identify the presence of asbetsos in your own
home follow the link to the Home
Asbestos Identification Pak. This pack outlines
how to do a visual inspection of your home and
record the results.
With asbestos awareness and working with asbestos
training - you can safely do maintenance tasks,
small job and deal with emergencies in your home
- you can manage your asbestos safely. Awareness
training is available on line.
Follow the link to the How
to Do it Instruction Guide for home owners.
To know more about asbestos in your home or work
place please view our FREE online presentation
by clicking this link
Asbestos Awareness and Health Effects.
It provides you with a good understanding of Asbetsos
issues and steps you can take to minimise the
risk of Asbestos.
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