Mr Fluffy asbestos infiltrates houses like “sand migrating through an hourglass” and can be present while still remaining invisible to the naked eye, according to a scientific analysis of a contaminated house that had to be pulled down in Downer last year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The report, obtained under freedom of information laws, paints a frightening picture for 1050 households in the ACT that have had Mr Fluffy loose amosite asbestos removed from their ceilings.
Forensic testing of the wall cavities and subfloors found dangerous amounts of asbestos due to the loose particles falling through cracks in the ceiling space. It also confirmed that microscopic particles still clung to bricks and wood, even after cleaning.
According to the report by Robson Environmental, the home at 25 Bradfield Street in Downer presented with “extensive” contamination. The home was missed during the $100 million Commonwealth removal program in 1988 but the report noted some of the amosite insulation had previously been removed from the home by the then owners and “modern yellow synthetic fibre bats had been used to disguise the contamination”.
The findings were so grave, the ACT government wrote to all Mr Fluffy homeowners in February, recommending they did not disturb any internal wall or subfloor spaces and to get an asbestos check by a licensed assessor to ensure fibres were not migrating into homes.
Photographs taken during the forensic deconstruction of the Downer property showed visible drifts and concentrations of grey amosite fibres – which are a grade 1 carcinogen – in numerous parts of the home. It was present in an old laundry vent, in a floor duct in a bedroom, in the attic space, all over bricks and mortar, on studs, rafters, on electrical wires and clumped under the subfloor.
When the cornices were removed, “a large amount” of asbestos was present.
Electron microscope scanning was conducted on brick surfaces after they had been cleaned, confirming that microscopic particles remained attached to the bricks but were invisible to the naked eye.
The federal remediation program, conducted over five years from 1988, included the removal of visible asbestos only.
During the deconstruction phase of the Downer home – which took place over three months last year – the home was encased in a bubble.
Work Safety Minister Simon Corbell played down the implications of the report, saying the Downer home was atypical in that it was missed during the original remediation program and had been left to age with large amounts of amosite in the roof cavity.
But the report author and Robson’s manager of hazardous material Ged Keane said the state of the Downer home was “very typical” of a number of the Canberra homes he had inspected over the past two months since the government’s warning went out.
Mr Keane noted that some of the homes presenting with contamination had had to have parts of the home sealed and, in at least two cases, families had to temporarily move out.
He said the areas of most potential danger to homeowners were around built-in cupboards and cornices, and where ducted heating had been installed with subfloor access.
Mr Keane said it was vital the ACT government come up with a long-term strategy to deal with the contamination.
He estimated 90 of the 100 homes he had recently inspected were safe to live in but he urged homeowners to check the condition of their cornices and around built-in cupboards. All Mr Fluffy homeowners had been warned not to disturb any walls or subfloors.
Mr Corbell said the government was still considering advice on how to proceed with safeguards for homeowners, renters, tradespeople and potential buyers of Mr Fluffy properties.
Meanwhile the ACT government has been rebuffed by the Commonwealth for the $2 million cost of deconstructing the Downer property, and other costs associated with remediating three other homes that were missed during the program.
“The Chief Minister has written to the Prime Minister on a number of occasions in relation to asbestos remediation assistance across the territory and remains determined on pursuing an agreement with the Commonwealth Government to assist in the remediation of sites contaminated prior to self-government,” Mr Corbell said.
