Where Asbestos Hides in Older Perth Homes

Asbestos cement was widely used in Australian homes until the late 1980s. In Perth it turns up both outside and inside the house, often in places people do not think to check.

Outside the house

• Grey corrugated boundary fences.
• Corrugated roofs on houses, garages, patios, carports and sheds.
• Flat sheet eave linings.
• External wall cladding on older homes and extensions.

Inside the house

• Bathroom walls and ceilings, including sheeting behind wall tiles.
• Splashback panels in laundries and kitchens.
• Heat protection panels behind older stoves.
• Old lino and sheet vinyl with a paper backing, and some older vinyl floor tiles.
• Ceilings in older extensions, sleep-outs and verandahs.

When it becomes a risk

Asbestos cement in good condition is usually low risk if it is left alone. The danger comes when it is drilled, cut, sanded, broken or pressure cleaned, or when it is badly weathered and crumbling.

The 10 square metre rule

In Western Australia, removing more than 10 square metres of bonded asbestos needs a licensed removalist, and friable asbestos always does. Most fences, roofs and whole rooms are well over that.