Asbestos warning for DIY home renovators

Home renovators looking to save money by doing jobs themselves are being warned not to take any risks with asbestos.

The warning from the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency comes during National Asbestos Awareness Week, with fears DIY renovators could be exposing themselves to the deadly fibres contained in the building material.

Asbestos was banned in Australia almost 20 years ago, but around 4,000 Australians are still dying every year from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

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While most of these deaths relate to occupational exposures before the ban was introduced, the risks are far from over, Chair of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Council, Paul Bastian, said.

"Asbestos still exists in millions of buildings and structures across Australia, including in one in three homes, Bastian said.

"Asbestos materials are now ageing and degrading, increasing the risk of releasing deadly asbestos fibres. More frequent extreme weather events such as floods and fires are also increasing the risk of asbestos exposure and contamination of the environment," Bastian said.

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Asbestos and Dust Diseases Research Institute Chair Peter Tighe told 6PR radio if your house is older than 20 years, it's very likely you have some form of asbestos present.

"Any time you demolish something or if you remove fibre shooting, you break the bonding out because it's about twenty percent asbestos," Tighe said.

"There's still a lot of asbestos around and now what we're seeing is second exposure."

Asbestos was a popular building material until the mid-1980s in Australia and was used widely because it was cheap, lightweight, versatile and fire-resistant.

Vinyl floor tiles, adhesives, paints, electrical components, insulation, textured coatings, and window putty can all contain asbestos.

However, it can be hard for people to tell just from looking at a material if it contains asbestos.

Bastian said it was important for renovators to identify any asbestos at the start of a project,

"We're calling on tradies, homeowners, and anyone planning renovations, repairs, or other work on older buildings to think twice about asbestos and don't cut corners," he said.

"Know where asbestos is before starting work and don't touch it if you don't have the training and equipment to remove it safely - use a licensed asbestos professional instead. Just like plumbing and electrical work, asbestos removal is a job best left to the experts."