Explore the surprising presence of asbestos in plumbing materials across Australian homes. Understand the risks, historical usage, & replacement importance.
In Australia, the use of asbestos was very common in the construction industry up to the late 1980s. All over Sydney, it’s not unusual to find houses that were built or renovated in this period having asbestos on their walls, flooring, and ceiling boards.
What a lot of people don’t expect much is to find asbestos in plumbing materials too! Yet, there’s a good chance that old plumbing will contain this now-banned material.
Why has asbestos been used in plumbing?
Particularly between the 1940s and 1980s, asbestos became an ever-present material in the plumbing and construction world. This is because asbestos is fire/heat resistant, highly durable, and most importantly, very affordable.
Due to its properties and inexpensiveness, asbestos quickly became a fundamental part of constructing new homes. Once we understood the dangers of it (around the late 1980s), the industry moved away from its use, however, there are still a number of homes, offices, and buildings from that era that still include asbestos.
What was asbestos used for?
Asbestos has been used for a number of things, many of which fall under the remit of plumbers! A very common use is for insulation, where it’s applied on boilers, water tanks, water pipes, flue pipes and calorifiers - a direct or indirect electric heated water system - to name a few. Other uses of asbestos include electrical switchboards and guttering.
This asbestos insulation is commonly found in a number of locations in a home or building which includes attics/lofts, ceiling spaces, riser cupboards, and ceiling or floor ducts. Other uses for asbestos include pumps, valves and gaskets, and heat shields - which are used around water heaters, joining compounds - which insulate around a pipe, and even cement. Asbestos cement has been used to make a number of products such as water tanks, cisterns, and even bath panels as asbestos is resistant against internal and external corrosion.
Workers at risk of asbestos exposure
If left untouched, asbestos should not pose a risk to those who live in a dwelling that contains it. However, the inhaling of asbestos particles has been strongly linked to cancer. These particles (or dust) are the by-product of cutting, breaking, and sanding asbestos.
Needless to say, construction workers who have used asbestos before its ban have a high risk of developing asbestos-related cancers. But there are other workers who should pay attention to this material.
As well as plumbers there are a range of industries that can be at risk due to asbestos exposure. Due to its useful properties, asbestos was widely implemented in the following industries workers should find out if they have suffered from asbestos;
Engineers
Boiler workers
Electricians
Insulators
Carpenters
Oil refinery workers
Factory workers
Shipyard workers
Maintenance workers
Construction workers
What are the health dangers of asbestos?
Over time we have come to discover that asbestos can be highly damaging for people if they breathe it in. Breathing in the fibers can increase the risk of a number of serious, long-term diseases such as lung cancer, colon cancer, larynx cancer, ovary cancer, mesothelioma, which is a rare cancer that affects the lungs and chest, and many more.
Inhaling of asbestos can also cause pleural diseases, which are non-cancerous lung diseases that make breathing difficult. It directly affects the membrane around the lungs and chest and thickens it, making it difficult for air to pass through the passages.
Should I replace my pipes if they are made of asbestos?
As mentioned before, if left untouched, asbestos is likely to be fine. We still have a fair bit of it around Sydney houses. However, old pipes are more likely to disintegrate and get damaged. If these pipes are exposed, the risk of dust inhalation could increase.
While there’s no need for panic or to call an emergency plumber, we recommend that these old pipes get replaced. Particularly, if you are renovating your house.
Frequently Asked questions (FAQs)
Should I remove asbestos myself?
No! This is a job for trained and licensed professionals.
There are strict rules and laws surrounding the removal of asbestos and this is because of its significant health risks.
Only trained professionals, who are fully licensed in asbestos removal should be contracted to carry out the job. Untrained individuals who take the risk of removing themselves can often ingest asbestos fibers which commonly do not show their consequences until 15 or 20 years after the incident occurs. Those who are smokers are also at much greater risk to suffer from asbestos.
If you are considering getting rid of asbestos yourself you should stop that thought immediately and call in professionals to do it.
How do plumbers deal with asbestos?
Most plumbers are not trained in asbestos removal and may not have the correct equipment to deal with it. Plumbers will likely work in collaboration with an expert asbestos removal technician.
How do I know if there’s asbestos in my pipes?
The age of your plumbing is a good indicator of it and there are also some visual clues that you can find in this guide. Ultimately, a test is required to confirm whether asbestos is present or not. The best way is to get an expert in. They will remove a small sample and send it for testing.
When was asbestos banned in Australia?
While limitations to its use started to happen in the 1980s. The complete ban on asbestos only happened in 2003.
