Media Invitation
Advance Notice

Asbestos Removal Live Demonstration

Mosman Green
21 Killarney Street Mosman

10:00am Thursday 17th March 2005

Please Register
RSVP Kate Froggatt on (02) 9555 5111

Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, will stage a live demonstration of the safe way to remove asbestos at its demonstration renovation as part of the renovator safety program.

One-third of all houses built in Australia before 1982 contain some asbestos. Because of its attributes to resist heat, flexibility and adhesiveness, it was used as a form of insulation around the pipes behind radiators or wood-burning stoves, used for roofing, eaves, shingles, wall cladding and some plaster and paint.

The asbestos in these products is usually embedded in the sheet but if the sheets start to weather or break the harmful killer fibres can be released.

The real problem begins when people go to renovate and start cutting, sanding, drilling, grinding or pulling up the material and cause the deadly dust.

If the cement sheet was bought and installed five years ago, it should be safe, but if it was installed before 1983 than there could be a problem.

Please Note: Media attending will be given site safety induction and instructions on filming and photographing.

Media Enquiries:
David Lawrence State Manager Archicentre NSW & ACT (02) 9555 5111 Mobile: 0407 833 324
Ron Smith Corporate Media Communications Archicentre (03) 9818 5700 Mobile: 0417 329 201

 

Media Release

17 March 2005

Asbestos Dust from Renovations KILLS

Live Demonstration

Asbestos dust can become a deadly side affect of renovations, Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects said today.

Archicentre will stage a live safe asbestos removal program for the media today at its renovation demonstration property at Mosman in Sydney this morning as part of its Renovator Safety program.

State Manager of Archicentre NSW & ACT, Mr David Lawrence said: "The live demonstration provides an opportunity to again highlight the dangers facing people renovating who breathe in asbestos dust which attacks the lungs."

"With hundreds of thousands of renovations taking place each year in Australia, the potential for family members including young children and babies to contract asbestos related disease is high, especially if people are living in the home whilst the renovation is in progress."


Mosman Green home

One-third of all houses built in Australia before 1982 contain some asbestos. Because of its attributes to resist heat, flexibility and adhesiveness, it was used as a form of insulation around the pipes behind radiators or wood-burning stoves, used for roofing, eaves, shingles, wall cladding and some plaster and paint.

The asbestos in these products is usually embedded in the sheet but if the sheets start to weather or break the harmful killer fibres can be released.

The real problem begins when people go to renovate and start cutting, sanding, drilling, grinding or pulling up the material and cause the deadly dust.

"If the cement sheet was bought and installed five years ago, it should be safe, but if it was installed before 1983 than there could be a problem," says Mr Lawrence. In this case, removal of the sheeting would probably be wise, however, it should only be done by professionals.

Archicentre called in to do pre-purchase housing and design inspections is often alarmed to find renovations have been started involving asbestos dust, without the owners receiving specialist advice from licensed asbestos removalists.

With more than 500 people a year contracting the disease, Australia has the highest per capita incidence of mesothelioma (a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos) in the world.

The Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia estimates the number of people diagnosed with asbestos related diseases will not peak until 2020 - by then there will be 13,000 cases of mesothelioma and up to 40,000 cases of asbestos-related lung cancer.... 53,000 cases of incurable cancer caused by asbestos over the next 20 years! (Estimated by Prof Henderson - Flinders University)

Removal and disposal of asbestos cement sheet should only be undertaken by a licensed asbestos removal company. Asbestos removal can add substantially to the cost of renovation or maintenance.

Specialist removalists will take precautions like:

We advise home owners undertaking any renovation of their home to have a health and safety plan in place if they are doing it themselves. If professional builders or tradesmen are undertaking the renovation then part of the contract should clearly include a reference to health and safety matters and current public risk insurance policy. It is important to have regular inspections throughout the project to ensure the builder is complying with the health and safety issues in the contract.

"The bottomline is that people need to realise that a renovation can be extremely hazardous and there needs to be constant monitoring of the site to ensure the families' safety," Mr Lawrence added.

Media Enquiries:
David Lawrence State Manager Archicentre NSW & ACT (02) 9555 5111 Mobile: 0407 833 324
Ron Smith Corporate Media Communications (03) 9818 5700

The Mosman Green renovation and construction will be over the next seven months and can be followed on http://www.archicentre.com.au/mosmangreen/index.htm

Facts
Asbestos is a patient killer.
It takes an average 37 years from the time of exposure to its deadly fibres before the onset of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a cancer that causes extreme pain and breathlessness as the tumour crushes the lung. There are no cures and it is inevitably fatal within about 12 months of diagnosis.
Australia has the highest per capita incidence of mesothelioma in the world.
More than 500 Australians a year are contracting the disease.
For each diagnosed case of mesothelioma, research shows there are two additional cases of asbestos-related lung cancer and non-malignant asbestos-related disease.