# Forum Home Renovation Asbestos  can someone identify if this wall is asbestos

## bl17tel

Hi all I am a white collar worker and thought it would be great to buy an older house and renovate myself for the experience.  However after removing 2x smaller walls by breaking them to pieces someone has said it may be asbestos.  As I was unprotected  and the kids were running around i am now really stressing.  I have been told by a neighbour the house was in 1978 however not 100% sure.  Its not as hard as your normal asbestos found in bathrooms or on rooves but its not to soft like plaster as well.  They havent used your typical fibro nails as they have used smaller pointy nails.  There is no cover strips on joins just exposed seams.  The whole inside of the house is made of this stuff.  I have had 2 builders tell me it looks like modern fibro rather than asbestos.  I have attached a pic for you to look at any help would be gr8. :Shock:

----------


## Bloss

mmm - So from your post we are to assume that you had no inspection reports or advice before you purchased the house about what it was built from?  :Frown:  Not much point in stressing now - about exposure anyway as it has already happened (and the health risk is very low). Stress about the added cost of dealing with it in future if you like! 
Not going to be able to tell by looking at those photos or any photo for that matter. If built in 1978 fair chance they are asbestos sheets, but asbestos free sheets were in use by then too. You MUST read the stickies.  
ALL demolition work should be done with protective breathing mask, gloves  and eye protection and especially on any house older than late 80s. Good practice also says no kids around too . . . as all dusts are hazardous with the potential to cause respiratory irritation at least and demolition itself is hazardous with so many things that can cause injury. 
First get confirmation from your council about the build date, but even if not 1978 still likely not to be late 80s. By 1978 there were warning stickers on the back of some asbestos sheeting (not all!) and the new ones often had 'asbestos free' in black or blue ink printed on the back. 
The risk in any case from casual exposure is low - but good sense, good practice _and the law_ says you have to handle and dispose of asbestos in very particular ways and can require removal only by professionals. 
You will need to get advice from someone who knows what they are looking at and the follow the requirements to deal with it. And wear safety gear (a decent mask especially) whenever you do work that could create dust - that's a good rule and helps reduce risk of unexpected exposure to asbestos or other dusts. Of course that applies to anyone and evryone who might be exposed.

----------


## cabuckley

I'm a respiratory physiotherapist with many years of experience in this field; if you've always been a non smoker then your risk from limited asbestos exposure (if it does turn out to be the case) is extremely low. But be sensible next time - good advice above re: wearing a mask and having kids out of the way regardless of what the material is.

----------


## barney118

usually the giveaway is if the back has little dimples like a golf ball.

----------


## bl17tel

Thankyou cabuckley I just feel so stupid to put my kids at such risk.  I will get it tested and have learnt a big lesson from this. I even gave my house the nickname of killer house but I am probably overreacting. I have never smoked and can't even stand the smell of it.   We are normally clean healthy people.   I have looked at the back and would say there is no golf ball Ripple on the back.  Does anyone know what to do from here.  As I have been constantly been cleaning since.   The exposure would have been casual over a 2 month period.  I thought if It was asbestos it would've had cover strips at the joins.  But every wall in my house is made of this stuff except bathroom which is tilux stuff with aluminum strips covering joins and the exterior is brick and tile monier 100 cement tiles.  :Yikes2:

----------


## Bloss

> usually the giveaway is if the back has little dimples like a golf ball.

  Nope, just sometimes and some products produced at some times. Some of the newer non-asbestos sheeting did not have that - as some of the newer asbestos sheeting also did not. And to see that you have to get to the back of the sheet .  .  .   :Rolleyes:  So not a reliable attribute (but might be a guide). Stickies are useful.

----------


## Bloss

> I have looked at the back and would say there is no golf ball Ripple on the back.  Does anyone know what to do from here.  As I have been constantly been cleaning since.   The exposure would have been casual over a 2 month period.  I thought if It was asbestos it would've had cover strips at the joins.  But every wall in my house is made of this stuff except bathroom which is tilux stuff with aluminum strips covering joins and the exterior is brick and tile monier 100 cement tiles.

  As stated - the dimple is not a reliable way to tell. Tilux was asbestos containing (and BTW was dead smooth on the back - almost shiny!) and as said 1978 most likely all of the sheeting is - but just paint it or whatever unless you really want to add no value at all and pay the massive cost to get it professionally removed (as that is the option). Read the material in the stickies for Qld as a first step. So long as you do not do mechanical things with it to release dust it is no danger at all!

----------


## Stan 101

DYOR, but I have seen specifically CSR products with no asbestos from the late 1980s with ink jet markings stating as such on the back face. Is anyone aware of any other producers of FRC that also took this path? 
cheers,

----------


## cabuckley

I had a word with a respiratory physician (my boss) and he said for you to stop stressing if you're a non smoker. His exact words were "The chances of having any problems from that degree of exposure is equivalent to getting lung cancer from just one cigarette"
PS We ALL stuff up as parents so stop beating yourself up!  :Wink 1:  Chalk this one up to experience and move on.

----------


## bl17tel

Thankyou all I know I have to move on from this but it just seems to be always on my mind anyway has anyone heard of putting plaster over it and if so what sort of cost do you think  :Confused:

----------


## Bloss

> DYOR, but I have seen specifically CSR products with no asbestos from the late 1980s with ink jet markings stating as such on the back face. Is anyone aware of any other producers of FRC that also took this path? 
> cheers,

  Yep - started in early 80s - but varied across products and manufacturers. Like wise there were warning stickers on many asbestos containing products from the late 70s and these were white labels glued on - initially a treated paper later a plastic os some sort with red warning signs and black text. Unfortunately some installers removed the labels and the labels also tended to become brittle and/or slough off over time. 
The following list shows approximate dates when products ceased to be manufactured with asbestos fibre.  
Note that asbestos was slowly phased out and some products manufactured around these dates may still have contained from 3-5 per cent asbestos (earlier versions might have contained up to 15-20%): 
Hardiflex 1981
Hardiplank 1981
Villaboard 1981
Versilux 1982
Harditherm 1984
Compressed 1984
Drain Pipe 1984
Super Six 1985
Highline 1985
Shadowline 1985
Coverline 1985
Roofing Accessories 1985
Pressure Pipe 1987

----------


## asbestosperth

The only way to be 100% sure that a material does contain asbestos is to submit a sample of the material to an asbestos laboratory 
for analysis. This is also a good way to prove a material does not contain asbestos.  Asbestos Removal Perth

----------

