# Forum Home Renovation Asbestos  Vermiculite and Asbestos in australia

## aussiebatler

There seems to be a lot of misleading and confusing information regarding the contamination of vermiculite with asbestos. As i understand a mine Libby Montanna in the states was producing 80% of the worlds vermiculite and it was found to be contaminated with asbestos this was happening up untill 1990. The contaminated product was called "Zonolite". There seems to be very little government information regarding this but does anyone know if this contaminated vermiculite was sold in australia? Is loose fill vermiculite insulation common in melbourne/aus? why doesnt the government make mention of this? if anyone could help shed some light it would be much appreciated.

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## intertd6

from what I vaguely remember from a asbestos awareness course is that asbestos fibres were sometimes added to vermiculite to help hold the mix together, testing is the only real way of knowing what is contained within the material.
regards inter

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## Jonesy_SA

I'm not an expert but it is common and confirmed in Europe. I have been told also in Australia. When I had samples of possible vermiculite tested they said they had found it before in that product.
Testing cost me about $90 and money well spent. 
Regarding Asbestos aweness, did anyone know it was used in pillows and  quilt inserts?? Turns out it was. Sadely the popularity of the material has seen it manifest in many forms.

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## aussiebatler

Thank you for your replys. I was aware that it is sometimes in vermiculite popcorn ceilings etc in the way you described to hold it all together but i was speaking more in regards to loose fill insulation. was vermculite used in loose fill in australia? did this product (not the popcorn ceilings) contain asbestos? the thing is ive been in many a roof space and encountered many different types of insulation n all this asbestos talk has me a lil paranoid

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## Bloss

Ah - read the big red letters at the top of this sub-forum - then go to the Library and read up there. All will be revealed about vermiculite and much else - we don't have to re-invent the wheel for every new post do we . . .  :Confused:  
In any case the main thing is 'Don't Panic' - use proper processes and safety gear and don't get worried about a lower level risk. 
Vermiculite was not commercially used in loose fill form in Australia - as 'Interd' says some spray on coatings did have some asbestos. Raw loose fill made from asbestos was used in the ACT, Queanbeyan and the NSW South Coast from around 1968-78 under the company name 'Mr Fluffy' - the only operator in the world to do so it seems. A Commonwealth program (there was no ACT Government then) inspected all homes built prior to 1980 then remediated all found to have loose fill asbestos. This program means that no ACT house is likely to have asbestos loose fill insulation. This program did not cover commercial properties in the ACT and did not cover NSW so it is possible that houses there (built prior to 1978-79) still have loose fill asbestos insulation in their roofs. Again all this is in the Library in documents or via the links. 
BTW - It is a myth that asbestos was used in pillows and quilt inserts - not those sold and used by regular punter in homes anyway! There were fire protection 'pillows' and 'quilts' which had asbestos inside and in some cases were made from asbestos cloth and even these were not in use after the '70s. The 'pillows' were more like door stops -used to place against gaps to prevent smoke and fire in emergencies. The 'quilts' were used by emergency services (fire brigades mostly and on ships too) as protection to assist escape from a fire. So were pure wool blankets (usually wetted) - which remain a useful safety item as clean wool is flame resistant even when dry.

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## Jonesy_SA

> It is a myth that asbestos was used in pillows and quilt inserts[/U]

  I haven't seen one myself. It was a documentary about the hidden casualties of asbestos and looked at the lesser known products. It was English so guessing USA. They did say that it was used in those products but now you mention it they may have been for inconsonance. They also mentioned window curtains. With that said it only takes one manufacturer, not them all. Wherever the doco was from they were in legal proceedings and looking for compensation etc

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