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    • What is asbestos?
    • How was asbestos used?
    • Are there health effects?
    • The risks of exposure
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    • Low density asbestos fibre board
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  • Know where asbestos is
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    • Marblesheen pool coatings containing asbestos
    • Testing for asbestos
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    • Asbestos management plans
  • Removing or disturbing asbestos
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    • Wearing protective equipment
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  1. Home
  2. General information
  3. Are there health effects?
In this section

In this section

  • What is asbestos?
  • How was asbestos used?
  • Are there health effects?
  • The risks of exposure
  • Health monitoring
  • Legislation and codes of practice
  • Low density asbestos fibre board
  • Asbestos contaminated dust or debris
  • Fires
  • Cleaning up after floods and storms
  • Importation prohibited
  • Government and agency roles
  • Asbestos in government assets

Are there health effects?

Current scientific and medical evidence supports the fact that simply living or working in a building containing asbestos is not dangerous as long as the asbestos is in good condition (i.e. undamaged).

It is when asbestos is worked with or disturbed and asbestos fibres are released that the risk of developing an asbestos related disease is increased.

The people at greatest risk of developing an asbestos related disease are those that frequently undertake repairs, renovations and other work which can generate the release of asbestos fibres into the air.

However, asbestos is only a risk to health when asbestos fibres become airborne and are inhaled into the lungs. Most fibres are removed from your lungs by your body's natural defences (e.g. coughing); however some fibres can remain in the lungs.

The risk to health increases with the number of fibres inhaled and with frequency of exposure. Asbestos-related diseases usually take many years to develop. The risk of developing an asbestos-related disease increases in proportion to the number of asbestos fibres breathed in over a lifetime. Occasional exposures to low concentrations of asbestos fibres, for example from house fires or renovation work on a neighbouring property, are likely to be associated with low risk to health.

The idea that 'one fibre will kill' is not supported by scientific evidence as everyone has had some exposure to asbestos fibres. The burden of asbestos fibres in the lungs, resulting from typical background exposure, appears to be tolerated by most people. Post-mortem studies of people aged between 60 -79 years who had not died from asbestos-related diseases have shown up to one million asbestos fibres per gram of dry lung tissue.

Except in cases of high occupational exposure, the incidence of asbestos-related disease is usually low.

Breathing in asbestos fibres has been linked to three asbestos related diseases, all of which can be fatal. Asbestos-related diseases take time to develop. They usually emerge at least 10 years after exposure, and sometimes as long as 50 years later. Currently there are no cures for these diseases.

Asbestosis

A chronic lung disease that can lead to respiratory impairment and to diseases such as lung cancer. Asbestosis causes widespread interstitial fibrosis (scar tissue between the alveoli, spread over the lung).

It is difficult to distinguish from other causes of interstitial fibrosis and only confirmation of exposure to asbestos or detection of unusually high numbers of asbestos fibres in the lung is considered conclusive evidence of this disease.

Mesothelioma

A cancer of the lining of the pleura (outer lung lining) or of the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity).

  • It is a rare disease - incidence is 1 in every 100,000 for males and 0.3 in every 100,000 for females.
  • Asbestos is not the only cause of this disease, but it is the most important cause in modern times.
  • Crocidolite is the most important asbestos-related factor, but amosite, chrysotile and tremolite are also linked.
  • This disease takes 20-50 years to appear, with the highest risk around 30-35 years after exposure.
  • It is typically dose-related, but in rare cases has been known to occur in patients with little known occupational exposure to asbestos.

Lung cancer

Cannot be distinguished from those cancers that are caused by other agents such as tobacco smoke.

  • Lung cancer is relatively common among the general public and is the cancer most frequently associated with asbestos.
  • Tumours grow and eventually obstruct airways.
  • No characteristics specify a lung cancer as being caused by asbestos - we cannot distinguish a cigarette lung cancer from an asbestos lung cancer or another lung cancer.
  • Smoking multiplies by 10 the risk of death due to lung cancer for asbestos workers.

More asbestos health information

Dr Keith Adam, a specialist in occupational medicine for over 20 years, and Education Queensland have developed a series of short asbestos 'vodcasts' designed to provide viewers with factual information about asbestos-related illness.  These vodcasts have been made available by WHSQ through a partnership with the Department of Education, Training, and Employment. 

  • What is asbestos: the types of asbestos, its attributes and its uses (run time 2min 23s)
  • What are the health effects? the types of health effects that can result from asbestos exposure. (run time 6min 28s) (note – legislation now prohibits the use of all asbestos)
  • What can we do following exposure: the health monitoring methods, and limitations of such, used to detect asbestos related diseases (run time 3min 30s)

Parsons Brinckerhoff film

This film has been made available through a partnership between WHSQ and Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Asbestos health issues: An extract from Asbestos Awareness - an informative guide to asbestos produced by Parsons Brinckerhoff (run time 7 mins 39s). This film discusses the type of asbestos exposure required to cause asbestos related disease, in particular - asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

Are there health effects

Downloads

  • Asbestos health risks [PDF 267.47 KB]
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© The State of Queensland 2018-2023
Queensland Government

  • Home
  • General information
    • What is asbestos?
    • How was asbestos used?
    • Are there health effects?
    • The risks of exposure
    • Health monitoring
    • Legislation and codes of practice
    • Low density asbestos fibre board
      • Low density board photo gallery
    • Asbestos contaminated dust or debris
    • Fires
    • Cleaning up after floods and storms
    • Importation prohibited
    • Government and agency roles
    • Asbestos in government assets
  • Know where asbestos is
    • Common locations of asbestos in domestic and commercial buildings
    • Naturally occurring asbestos
    • Asbestos products gallery
    • Vehicles and plant
    • Electrical switchboards and meters
    • Marblesheen pool coatings containing asbestos
    • Testing for asbestos
    • Asbestos registers for workplaces
    • Asbestos management plans
  • Removing or disturbing asbestos
    • Prohibited activities
    • Wearing protective equipment
    • Safe work procedures
    • Asbestos removal work
    • Asbestos-related work
      • Induction and safety training for unlicensed work
    • Homeowner's certificate to remove asbestos
    • Air monitoring
    • Clearance inspections
    • Transport and disposal of asbestos waste
      • Important disposal information and illegal dumping
      • Requirements for transporting asbestos
      • Asbestos disposal information
  • Practical guidance
    • Asbestos workers and removalists
    • Trades and contractors
    • Homeowners and home renovators
      • Tips when home renovating
        • Homeowners: Look, check and prepare
      • Tips when hiring a contractor
    • Commercial building owners (of workplaces)
    • Body corporate and apartment owner occupiers
      • Is my body corporate a PCBU
      • Asbestos in body corporate common areas
    • Residential tenants, lessors and landlords
      • Add a warning sticker to your home
    • Volunteers
      • Is my volunteer association a PCBU?
      • Businesses and volunteers
    • Local government environmental health officers
      • Frequently asked questions from local government authorised persons
  • Resources
    • Asbestos alerts
    • Asbestos news
    • Codes of practice
    • Guidance
    • Films
      • Asbestos safety session 2021
      • Asbestos safety session 2020
      • Cleaning Asbestos Roofs
      • Shadow vacuuming with a H-Class vacuum cleaner
      • Use and maintenance of a H-Class vacuum cleaner
      • Identifying low density asbestos fibre board hazards and risks
      • Working safely with asbestos for the home renovator
      • How to properly wear personal protective equipment for airborne contaminants
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Dear Dad - An asbestos awareness film
      • Clear and present danger: Asbestos exposed
      • Uses and applications of asbestos - an extract from a film by Parsons Brinckerhoff
      • Asbestos health issues - an extract from a film by Parsons Brinckerhoff
      • Safe work procedure - storm and wind damage cleanup
      • Drilling into asbestos walls and ceilings
      • Asbestos - Removing switchboard panels
      • Decontamination procedure, personal decontamination and cleanup procedures
      • Asbestos awareness
    • Safe work procedures
      • Preparation before commencing the task
      • Preparing and painting corrugated asbestos cement roof and fences
      • Drilling into non-friable asbestos using a thickened substance to control airborne fibres and dust
      • Drilling into non-friable ACM using an H rated industrial HEPA filter vacuum to control airborne fibres and dust
      • Removing a small package electrical switchboard
      • Cleanup and disposal
      • Safe cleanup of storm damaged materials that may contain asbestos
    • Frequently asked questions for homeowners and the general public
    • Podcasts
    • Strategies
    • Working Safely with Asbestos Guide
    • Asbestos Awareness Week 2022
    • Induction and safety training for unlicensed work
  • Sanctions
    • Asbestos on-the-spot fines
    • Sanctions against asbestos licence holders
    • Prosecutions