It’s only natural to be worried about asbestos. It’s a hazardous natural substance present in many homes and businesses around the world and responsible for most workplace deaths in New Zealand.

However, worrying about asbestos, AKA asbestos anxiety can be all-consuming, and we’re here to let you know that it doesn’t have to be. We’ll attempt to alleviate some of your asbestos-related concerns below.

Asbestos Only Becomes Dangerous When Exposed

The facts around asbestos can be confusing. We know it’s a dangerous natural mineral that can cause a whole host of medical conditions, but it’s not dangerous in all forms. You are at an incredibly low risk of exposure if you have asbestos vinyl flooring, for example, or house cladding.

The risk lies in the condition of those materials. If they are worn, broken, or damaged in any way, that is when the asbestos becomes an issue for you and your household’s occupants. Asbestos fibres can be released into the air and, once inhaled, can lodge themselves in your lung tissue.

With repeated exposure, those fibres build up, become inflamed, and lead to conditions like lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis, and pleural thickening.

One-Time Exposure Is Rarely Harmful

There is no ‘safe’ level of asbestos exposure, with studies not being able to confirm that you won’t become ill from a single asbestos exposure event. However, you would be extremely unlucky to be exposed to friable asbestos once and have it impact your health in the future.

Most current fatal cases in New Zealand are linked to past high-exposure events in businesses like industrial processing and trades. In these situations, most people experiencing asbestos-related illnesses worked with asbestos-containing materials (ACM) frequently, without knowing the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other preventive measures.

Asbestos Levels in the Ambient Air Are Low

Studies have shown that asbestos levels in the ambient air are lower than they’ve been in the past. The level of environmental lifetime risk from airborne asbestos is likely 1 in 100,000, or possibly even lower.

According to World Health Organisation criteria, airborne asbestos would fit within the requirements of a low-level risk, similar to the cancer risk from eating charcoal-broiled meat or the risks associated with being struck and killed by lightning.

New Home Builds Aren’t Affected

When we started learning about the risks associated with ACM, every property owner was in the same boat. Everything from cladding and insulation to roofing materials, walls, and flooring could contain asbestos and often did in nearly every home built before 1990.

Now, if you purchase a property built after 1990, asbestos doesn’t have to be something you concern yourself with. It’s essential to be aware of it, but it’s becoming less and less of a problem in cities experiencing building booms with the updating and replacing of old housing stock.

You Can Access Registers and Plans to Know What to Do

The New Zealand government has been proactive in its response to asbestos, such as with WorkSafe regulations, asbestos management plans, and asbestos registers. When you’re unsure what you’re supposed to do when faced with the prospect of asbestos exposure, you can refer to any of the many official documents and guides released to the public.

The same rules apply to both residential and commercial properties. If you find yourself working within a building you believe contains asbestos, you can refer to the asbestos management plan they’re legally required to have to see if it’s present, if it’s likely to be present, and what actions you can take to keep yourself safe while working around it.

You Can Test For It

Sometimes, the unknown is scarier than what you do know, and if you’re not sure if your home contains asbestos, you can spend a lot of sleepless nights worrying about it. Fortunately, if you suspect that any building materials such as roofing contain asbestos, you can test for it to know what you’re working with. 

Asbestos removalists in NZ will take a sample of the material, confirm its presence, and provide some options on what you can do next. Sometimes, those options can be removing the materials safely or encapsulating them. Encapsulating tends to be a popular option with asbestos materials that are more dangerous to remove than keep in place.

Experts Can Remove It Safely

There’s no denying that learning your house contains asbestos can be scary, especially if you’re about to undertake renovations or you’ve been living with damaged ACM materials for a long time.

However, you can enjoy much-needed peace of mind knowing that this is not a problem you need to manage on your own. Once you hire asbestos removal experts, they can put the necessary safety measures in place, remove the affected materials, and leave you with an asbestos-free property that no longer poses a risk to your family’s health and safety.