Asbestos is the name given to a group of naturally occurring minerals found in rock formations.
Asbestos mining
Three types of asbestos were mined in Australia: white, blue and brown asbestos. Large deposits were mined in Western Australia and New South Wales and there were smaller operations in Tasmania and South Australia. Asbestos mining ended in Australia by 1983 but it is still mined in large quantities in many countries across the world.
The asbestos produced from Australian mines only represented about 5% of the asbestos used in Australia with the bulk being imported. Ninety per cent of the asbestos used throughout the world, including Australia, was white asbestos.
Asbestos exposure standard
The asbestos exposure standard does not represent a 'risk free' level at which every employee can be guaranteed absolute protection from any asbestos related illness. Nor does the asbestos exposure standard constitute a 'fine line' between satisfactory and unsatisfactory working conditions.
National asbestos ban
In Australia, asbestos cement materials were first manufactured in the 1920's. These were commonly used in the manufacture of residential and commercial building materials from the mid-1940's until the late 1980's. During the 1980's, asbestos cement materials were phased out in favour of asbestos-free products
Australia banned the use and import of blue asbestos, brown asbestos and asbestos-containing products in the mid-1980s. The manufacture and import of white asbestos products was banned in December 2003. From 31 December 2003, the total ban on manufacture, supply, use, reuse, import, transport, storage and sale of all forms of asbestos came into force.
Further information on imports and processes can be found on the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency and Australian Border Force websites.
Asbestos fibres
Asbestos fibres are strong, heat resistant and have insulating properties. Clumps of mined asbestos can be broken down to loose fibres or fibre bundles, and mixed with other materials, such as cement, to produce a variety of building products. Up to 90% of the asbestos produced in or imported into Australia was used for the manufacture of building products, especially asbestos cement materials.
Asbestos fibres are not visible to the naked eye.
They can become airborne from the breakdown of natural asbestos deposits and manufactured asbestos products. Once airborne, small fibres may remain suspended in the air for a long time and can be carried long distances by wind before settling down. Large fibres and particles tend to settle more quickly. Asbestos fibres do not dissolve in water or move through soil. They are generally not broken down to other compounds and can remain unchanged over long periods.
Asbestos-containing building products are classified as either 'friable' (soft, crumbly) or 'non-friable' (solid, rigid, bonded).
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