Asbestos Awareness Week: Deadly Threat in 1-in-3 Homes

MEDIA RELEASE: 24 NOVEMBER 2025

A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER: ASBESTOS AWARENESS WEEK WARNS OF THE DEADLY THREAT LURKING IN 1-IN-3 HOMES

With asbestos recently detected in play sand, and Australian parents fearful for their children's health, the Asbestos Education Committee (AEC) has issued a hard-hitting warning that children could be at greater risk of exposure to asbestos fibres if asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are disturbed and not managed safely during renovations and maintenance.

Clare Collins, Chair of the Asbestos Education Committee said, "While the extent of the contamination in play sand is yet unknown, renovators, homeowners and tradies must be aware that asbestos, a silent serial killer remains lurking within 1-in-3 Aussie homes and if disturbed, they could be risking their lives and the lives of loved ones including their children."

Every year asbestos-related diseases take the lives of around 4,000 Australians (three times the number killed in the national road toll) with the number of deaths predicted to rise if Australians continue ignoring serious asbestos warnings.

Cherie Barber, Australia's Renovation Queen™ and an Asbestos Awareness Ambassador for 12 years said, "As we've learned recently, the dangers of asbestos are not a thing of the past so it's essential that ACMs are managed safely to protect families.

"Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) remain an ever-present danger to unsuspecting DIYers, homeowners and tradies who must ensure ACMs are managed safely by learning how to identify any suspected materials by using licenced asbestos assessors or occupational hygienists; and if removal is required, they should only use licenced asbestos removalists."

If sealed and in good, stable condition ACMs don't pose a health risk. However, if disturbed during demolition, renovation or maintenance; and asbestos fibres are released and can be inhaled, those exposed can develop deadly diseases including malignant mesothelioma (there is no cure), lung cancer and asbestosis.

Clare Collins said, "This tragic loss of life caused from exposure to asbestos fibres in the built environment is completely avoidable if Australians learn to respect asbestos risks and learn how to manage this hazard safely.

"There is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos fibres so the only way we can prevent asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, is to increase awareness of the dangers of asbestos and ensure its manage safely. It's not just DIYers, homeowners and tradies who are at risk. Anyone who is exposed to asbestos fibres when ACMs are disturbed can fall victim to deadly asbestos-related diseases, including children," said Ms Collins.

"Tragic cases of relatively young Australians being diagnosed with mesothelioma continue to be recorded because of exposure to fibres as children when their parents built or renovated homes using ACMs unaware of the risks," Ms Collins said.

In 2023, when 48-year-old mother of two Leah Smith began struggling to breathe with an unknown illness, she and her loved ones could not have imagined that the tests she underwent on her 49th Birthday would reveal malignant mesothelioma - the deadly cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibres when Leah was a child.

"When Leah was little, asbestos-containing building and decorator products were popular among young couples when building their own homes, not knowing they could be risking their lives and the lives of their children," she said.

"Sadly, on 22 August 2024, just eight months and one day after Leah's diagnosis, her husband Phillip and their family were left devastated when Leah lost her battle with the terrible but preventable asbestos disease," said Ms Collins.

"What most people don't know is that although asbestos was banned in Australia in 2003, asbestos had been used extensively in the manufacture of more than 3000 building and decorator products that could still be lurking in any brick, fibro, weatherboard or clad home, apartment or shed built before 1990. It could be anywhere," Ms Collins said.

Asbestos is not only in fibro sheeting. It could be in materials lurking under floor coverings including carpets, linoleum and vinyl tiles, behind wall and floor tiles, in cement floors, internal and external walls, ceilings and ceiling space (insulation), eaves, roofs, around hot water pipes, fences, home extensions, garages, outdoor toilets, backyard and farm structures, chook sheds and even dog kennels. It was used everywhere!

Because Australia was one of the highest consumers of ACMs, twenty-two years after the national ban on asbestos came into force (Dec 2003), Australia continues to record one of the highest incidences of mesothelioma in the world.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and Safe Work Australia's Mesothelioma in Australia 2024 report (29 August 2025), over the past 40 years the number of cases of mesothelioma has continued to steadily increase so awareness of the risks of exposure is essential to saving lives.

The report comprising cases of mesothelioma (reported up until 1 May 2025), noted that more than 9 in 10 people who had been diagnosed with mesothelioma and completed an Australian Mesothelioma Registry (AMR) exposure assessment, were assessed as having a history of possible or probable exposure to asbestos.

The AMR noted that while men have historically been more likely than women to be diagnosed with mesothelioma due to occupational exposure, 94% (1,323 of 1,409) of respondents reported non-occupational exposure. 89% of mesothelioma patients (1,176) reported 'possible or probable asbestos exposure' in non-occupational settings. Of these, 51% were exposed during major home renovations involving asbestos, 38% from living in a house while renovations were underway, 13% from residing in a fibro home built between 1947 and 1987, and 21% from living with someone occupationally exposed who brought asbestos dust into the home.

Cherie Barber said, "Homeowners, renovators and tradies who fail to manage ACMs safely, not only risk exposing themselves to the deadly microscopic fibres, but can also expose family members, children and neighbours putting their lives at risk.

"With evidence suggesting asbestos exposure is also linked to ovarian and laryngeal (voice box) cancers and increased risk of breast, stomach and colon cancers; only through increased awareness and providing free practical education tools to help identify and manage asbestos safely, will we prevent asbestos-related deaths.

"Start by visiting. asbestosawareness.com.au, the world's most comprehensive website for user-friendly information on identifying and managing ACMs with dedicated resources for renovators, investors and tradies.

"If a home was built before 1990, before renovating or doing maintenance, be sure to have it inspected by a licenced asbestos assessor or occupational hygienist to identify potential hazards and only use licenced asbestos removalists because the cost to homeowners, tradies and their families could be far greater if they're exposed to the deadly fibres."

"During national Asbestos Awareness Week, the message we want homeowners and tradies to hear is what NOT to do with asbestos! Don't cut it! Don't drill it! Don't drop it! Don't sand it! Don't saw it! Don't scrape it! Don't scrub it! Don't dismantle it! Don't tip it! Don't waterblast it! Don't demolish it! Don't dump it! And whatever they do...they should NEVER remove it themselves!" Ms Barber said.

Since 2011, Australia's multi award-winning Asbestos Awareness campaign has been dedicated to saving lives by alerting renovators, property investors, managers and tradies to the asbestos risks and providing effective tools and information resources to ensure potentially hazardous asbestos materials are managed safely.

In 2025 the Asbestos Education Committee continues the National Asbestos Awareness campaign and its long-standing leadership role of providing world-first, user-friendly and freely accessible education resources at asbestosawareness.com.au for anyone who might risk disturbing ACMs including homeowners, renovators, landlords, tradies, commercial property and regional property owners and managers.