How to tell if eaves are asbestos?

Being a red-brick house (1960-1980s?) would suggest to me it is more likely to be asbestos than not. As per PP, either get a test kit or get someone in to assess it.

 

I wonder whether anyone has suggested this is grossly misleading? And possibly in breach of consumer protection law.

 

I have not found this to be the case. It's usually possible to find the age from council records. Something I would find out prior to purchase.

 

Asbestos is possible in buildings until 2003 in Australia.

 

Need to look on sheet rear if you can, unless you can see a date, I would assume asbestos.

TBH I would just vent elsewhere, like through roof. Or wall.

 

Yeah, sick your lawyers onto them .......

 

Admittedly not worth it. That's why I'd find out the age of a house with due diligence.

 

..........and later. It was being (illegally) imported into AU only a few years ago.

 

I did not know that, though it's not surprising. Do you have a source for that information? I'm not disputing it but it would be interesting to read and not something I have come across.
I use the figure 2003 because it is supplied by the national asbestos safety strategy.

 

Border Force testing small fraction of building materials for asbestos
or google <asbestos in building products from china> for multiple sources.

 

Ta!

 

Google perth hospital asbestos. Only happened a few years ago

 

Thanks, I quickly read the link supplied. I had forgotten about the cases mentioned because they were focussed on commercial and my head space tends to be in residential.

 

We have done this dance before, you can do nothing, not in the legal sphere or the real world to know for sure without hard evidence.

If making assumptions, it would be best to assume it is dangerous material. I would do this anyway, I can't imagine a vent through eaves unless it was to allow air flow for the roof space for a particular purpose.

Re not being worth it, it is more like you cannot do anything, again, unless you can prove an agent knew the exact age and purposely misled & then you actually suffered a loss, not an imagined loss. There is time and clauses in contracts so you would hardly have a leg to stand on.

As per that other thread where some people were emotional and being personal, there is no way to know even if a new place has it somewhere, unless you build it yourself and know exactly where all material came from or were used, how can you rule it out ? Obviously there will not be sheets of old fibro on a 2015 build, but it could be elsewhere, in other building materials, products or appliances or various possessions in a house.

It is the handling of or condition of items with asbestos that people need to get the head around, not simply the presence, and unfortunately we all must live like this, but keep in mind there are many other poisons and materials that can cause harm around the home, that is why I feel looking at asbestos with blinkers on is foolish.

PS ironically, this obsession with removal, is causing more exposure, right ? Does anyone stop to think that fear is also a business driver for those in that business ?

 

I can see where you are coming from. Normal dust e.g. produced from wood sanding can be a hazard so it pays to use reasonable caution when involved in any construction type activity.

Where there is reasonable fear that the material is asbestos then it pays to be extra careful. The government have some good guides to direct people.

 

Moving on from eaves, anyone heard of sarking (not the metallic foil) but a paper based cardboard like version contain asbestos?

 

haha this reminds me of a Reno we did on a 1986 build. I was ripping out the bathroom wall and picked up a piece of the sheet and was a bit horrified to read 'asbestos' on the back of the sheet.
Was relieved when I inspected the other half of the sheet i broke!

 

Some soils naturally contain asbestos, can we get the council to lift house, remove all soil, replace with certified topsoil and then re set the house ?

And also to do all front, rear yards, council strips, etc etc etc etc ......

 

Naturally occurring asbestos FAQs

No. You are landowner, not council. Caveat Emptor. I doubt a suburban area is naturally occurring.
There is a NSW / ACT scheme for fibre insulation containing asbestos in homes. They buy your house at "market" whatever than may mean, remove the fibre, demo it and sell the clean land. You have option to be buyer of the land.

Loose fill asbestos insulation - NSW Fair Trading

 

Asbestos sheets will have dimples on one side, if you need to make a penetration or snap some off, just keep it really wet, use a wet rag and then the dust won’t float around in the air