Asbestos

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• Asbestos
  • What is asbestos?
  • What are the possible health effects of asbestos?
  • Is it dangerous?
  • The two types of materials containing asbestos
  • Asbestos in carpet underlay
  • Cracked,damaged or weathered asbestos sheeting
  • Do I have material containing asbestos in my house
  • Where could I find materials containing asbestos?
  • Some common questions answered
• For Home Renovators
  • Things you need to know before every job
  • Working safely with asbestos
  • Disposing of asbestos waste
  • New Asbestos Laws
• For Local Governments
• For Workplaces and Businesses

What are the possible health effects of asbestos?

Asbestos can cause health effects if fibres are breathed into the lungs. Most fibres are removed from your lungs by your body's natural defences (eg. by being coughed up and then swallowed), however some fibres can remain in the lungs.

The possible health effects of asbestos are:

• Asbestosis (progressive and irreversible scarring of lung tissue that impairs breathing)
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma (a cancer of the linings around the lungs and abdomen)
• Non-cancerous diseases that affect the linings around the lungs and abdomen (commonly called 'benign pleural diseases')

These diseases can sometimes take up to 50 years to develop. There may be some treatments for asbestos related diseases, but there are currently no known cures.

For more information, see the general information sheet on asbestos related diseases.

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