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Asbestos
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Asbestos
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  • General information
    • 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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  1. Home
  2. General information
  3. The risks of exposure
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

The risks of exposure

What is the risk?

Asbestos is a health risk when extremely fine particles become airborne and are inhaled. These respirable fibres cannot be seen with the eye, but they can enter and become lodged in the lungs, where they may stay and develop into a disease. The fibres are usually:

  • less than 3 microns* in diameter and
  • greater than 5 microns in length.

*(1 micron = 1/1000 of a millimetre)

The presence of asbestos materials in a building does not necessarily create a health risk. While the materials are undisturbed and in sound condition, they will not generate airborne respirable fibres or create a health risk.

Risk factors

The likelihood of any particular person developing an asbestos-related illness depends on a number of factors, including:

  • length of time a person is exposed to airborne asbestos fibres
  • concentration or levels of asbestos in the air breathed
  • individual susceptibility
  • size and type of asbestos fibres
  • influence of other factors, especially cigarette smoke. (Research has shown that smoking significantly increases the risk of lung cancer in people who have been exposed to asbestos.)

Drinking water

Drinking water has often been transported in high pressure asbestos-cement pipes or collected into household tanks from asbestos cement roofing material. The risk posed by the long-term consumption of such water has been studied extensively. Data from both animal experimentation and human epidemiological studies has shown that the risk of asbestos-related disease is not increased.

Also, studies show that ingested asbestos fibres very rarely penetrate the gastrointestinal mucosa. Taking into account all of this information, it would appear that the carcinogenic effect of drinking water contaminated by asbestos is very small, if not zero.

Risk of exposure

Downloads

  • Asbestos: a guide for minor renovation [PDF 9.78 MB]
  • Asbestos - cleaning and/or removing asbestos containing materials [PDF 189.11 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