With around one in three Australian homes containing asbestos, and the rates of mesothelioma in Australia yet to peak due to the third wave of asbestos exposure, the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency has conducted research to identify factors that would make home owners more likely to remove asbestos in the future.
Home owners would be more likely to remove asbestos from their property when the removal project was small, if there was a government subsidy such as free removal and disposal or an interest free loan, and when the asbestos was located in the kitchen or bathroom.
Research commissioned by Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency looked at factors that would impact people’s decisions about asbestos removal, including where the asbestos is located, the size and cost of the project, and hypothetical government initiatives.
The study found that the cost of dealing with asbestos is the main factor in decisions relating to asbestos removal.
The levels of knowledge people have around the risks of asbestos and how much they understand about the potential impacts on their health also influences decisions about removal.
The study also found that those on low incomes were consistently less likely to remove asbestos. It compared the attractiveness to homeowners of different forms of hypothetical interventions.
ASEA Chief Executive Peter Tighe said the research would help authorities understand the most effective interventions in encouraging home owners to remove asbestos from their properties.
"One in three Australian homes contain asbestos, yet most people can’t correctly identify it and there are low levels of awareness among home owners of the risks," Peter Tighe said.
"There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. The property boom and the popularity of DIY home renovation means that Australians will be at risk of dying of an asbestos-related disease for a long time to come.
"The eradication of legacy asbestos from our built environment needs to be an urgent national priority if we want to save lives.
"This research focuses on two of the biggest barriers to asbestos removal in the residential sector – the costs involved to the individual home owner, and levels of knowledge about asbestos.
"Better informed people make safer decisions, and the more understanding of the health impacts of exposure to asbestos the more likely they are to remove it.
"However, the research shows that the majority of people would not remove asbestos, and even confident DIY renovators still have a long way to go in fully understanding the problem.
"It provides the community and governments at every level with the evidence needed to target interventions and education campaigns."
The research found:
The report can be found at: https://www.asbestossafety.gov.au/research-publications/barriers-motivations-and-options-increasing-asbestos-removal-residential-and ---
