Asbestos Removal Brisbane

Asbestosis used to be relatively common in Australia among workers regularly exposed to asbestos, especially those working in asbestos mining and manufacturing industries prior to the 1980s. However, since the banning of asbestos and improvements in workplace safety relating to asbestos, the rate of new asbestosis cases has declined dramatically. These days, asbestosis in Australia is mostly diagnosed among older people who were exposed many years ago before safety measures were improved. Currently, there are estimated to be several thousand Australians living with asbestosis that developed it from exposures decades ago. However the rates of new diagnoses per year have fallen to just a couple hundred across Australia as asbestos exposures have been reduced. So while still present, especially among older populations exposed many years back, advancements in safety mean asbestosis is now much less common in Australia compared to several decades ago.

Australia has strict regulations on the use and management of asbestos which have increased over time. Most forms of asbestos have been banned in Australia since 2003 with the last few exemptions ending by 31 December 2023. There are extensive laws covering the safe removal, handling and disposal of asbestos products in buildings, with licensed asbestos removalists required to conduct this work. There are also regulations requiring asbestos surveys and registers to track asbestos in public buildings. Australian workplaces have strict control measures concerning potential asbestos exposure with any work on asbestos regulated under WHS laws. There are also special requirements on the transport and waste disposal of asbestos. These Australian regulations cover all stages of the asbestos lifecycle to minimise asbestos-related risks and strictly control residual legacy uses of asbestos still found in older buildings and infrastructure. Essentially, Australia has a wide suite of asbestos regulations focused on safety, tracking and control from use through to removal and disposal.

The main way to diagnose asbestos fibres in the lungs is through imaging tests. A chest X-ray may pick up indicators of asbestos-related lung disease like scarring, calcium deposits, or fluid build up. However more definitive testing involves a CT or HRCT scan of the lungs. This specialised imaging can detect tiny asbestos fibres and asbestos-related scarring in the lungs. Another technique is lung biopsy, removing a small sample of lung tissue for lab analysis – biopsied material examined under a microscope can definitively identify asbestos fibres if present. Alongside imaging and biopsies, doctors also base an asbestos diagnosis on evaluation of the patient’s exposure history and identifiable asbestos-related health conditions. However the key confirmations that asbestos is actually in someone’s lungs come from CT scans visualising fibres or pathology results after lung tissue biopsies detect fibres under the microscope. If these asbestos indicators show up in imaging or biopsy results, then there is asbestos confirmed to be in the patient’s lungs.

Asbestos has been widely used in many products, especially building materials. The most common products that may contain asbestos include:

• Older insulation materials and associated products like ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, boards, seals, tape.
• Roof repairs materials including shingles, felts, cements.
• Siding and exterior wall materials on older buildings.
• Surface treatments like fireproof coatings, plasters, paints, soundproofing.
• Floor treatments such as vinyl tiles, sheets, mastic glues and levelling compounds.
• Brake pads and transmission clutch components in older vehicles.
• Old stoves, heaters, appliances for insulation.
• Packing, gaskets, valves, wires/cables covering materials.
• While many products have substituted safer alternatives for asbestos, it can still be found in buildings, equipment and vehicles built before 1990s-2000s depending on item and country regulations at the time. Any home or commercial renovation should check for asbestos containing materials. If unsure, consult an asbestos professional.

Unfortunately, once asbestos fibres become lodged in the delicate lung tissue, the damage is permanent and cannot be reversed. The body cannot eliminate all the tiny fibres it breathes in. Over time, the immune system tries to encapsulate the trapped sharp-edged fibres with scar tissue. This leads to progressive lung scarring that gradually reduces lung capacity and function. For some asbestos-related conditions like pleural plaques, the scarring may stabilise if no more asbestos is inhaled. However often further complications like asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma can develop years later. There are no cures or healing treatments for asbestos-related lung damage itself. The scarring cannot be repaired. That is why prevention of exposure is so important. Once asbestos gets in the lungs, the subsequent health conditions are progressive and lifelong. The focus shifts to symptom management rather than curative treatment for the underlying lung damage. Avoiding any further asbestos exposure is advised as lungs exposed to asbestos cannot ultimately return to their pre-exposure healthy state.

Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for asbestos fibres in the lungs. Once those microscopic fibres get lodged into the lung tissue, they cannot be removed or eliminated by any medical treatment. The body cannot expel the fibres it has already inhaled and embedded in the delicate lung tissue. Asbestos causes permanent scarring and damage. Over years, the accumulation of scar tissue from the body trying to wall off asbestos fibres can lead to serious and progressive respiratory conditions like asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma. These asbestos-related diseases often get increasingly worse over time. Doctors try to treat the complications and secondary infections. However the underlying asbestos-related scarring in the lungs cannot be reversed, repaired or cured with today’s medical knowledge and technology. That’s why asbestos exposure prevention is so vital. Avoiding inhaling asbestos in the first place remains the most effective safeguard, as there are no cures once asbestos fibres lodge in lung tissue. The lung damage from asbestos is lifelong and can be dangerous.