Asbestos Products
Asbestos is a mineral that was used in Australia in a variety of ways. While asbestos continues to be used in many parts of the third world (and is still mined in Canada), its use stopped in Australia for everything but brake linkings during the 1980′s, and from brake linings in 2003.
There are three main forms of asbestos fibre including crocidolite (blue); amosite (brown) and chrysotile (white) asbestos. The first two are described as amphibole asbestos while white asbestos is known as serpentine.
Much of the asbestos commercially used in Australia was from South Africa or Canada although large quantities of asbestos were also mined in Australia at Wittenoom in Western Australia (where blue asbestos was mined) and in Northern New South Wales at mines including Baryugil and Barraba.
In terms of danger, crocidolite is considered the most harmful to health due to the needle-like shape of the fibre, followed by amosite and then chrysotile. However, all asbestos is dangerous and there is no “safe” level of exposure. There has been much debate about whether exposure to chrysotile on its own can cause mesothelioma but the latest evidence confirms a direct link between chrysotile and mesothelioma.
The following are some of the typical products that may contain asbestos: Acoustical Plaster Crock Pots Insulation Seals Acoustic Finishes Decorative Plaster Laboratory Gloves Adhesives Duct Tape Laboratory Hoods Agricultural Filler Duplex pipe covering Lagging adhesive Air Cell Pipecovering Dry Mix Joint Compound Lagging cloth Asbestos Gloves Ehret Block Machine Room Ducts [...]
Asbestos cement buildings products, commonly referred to as fibro, were widely used throughout Western Australia after World War II. Two out of every three houses constructed in Australia in the period 1945 to 1983 contained asbestos cement sheets. One of the main reasons for this is that it was a cheap medium to use. Up until [...]
Up until the 1980′s, asbestos was widely used for insulation and sound proofing in Western Australia. In many commercial and industrial buildings, power stations and onboard ships, asbestos was sprayed as insulation and sound proofing on bulkheads, beams, columns and ceilings. Hot water and steam pipes were extensively lagged with asbestos insulation, usually in the [...]
Exposure to dust and fibre released from new brake linings, shoes or clutches when fitting, including chamfering, grinding and rivettng, can cause asbestos diseases such as asbestosis or mesothelioma. Exposure to dust blown out from used brake linings is generally not dangerous to health as the asbestos in the brake linings undergoes a chemical reaction, becoming fausterite, [...]
