Flood alert: Beware of asbestos

By Bridget Brady
FLOOD-affected Casey residents have been warned to be wary of asbestos while cleaning up their homes or businesses.
Casey council has reminded those who have needed to sort through debris and materials to take care with products common up until the late 1980s in case they contained asbestos.
Vinyl floor tiles, cement roof sheeting and wall lining are some of the materials that may contain asbestos. Casey’s manager of community safety, Caroline Bell, said the correct safety precautions should be taken.
“In general, asbestos in building material isn’t risky unless the material is damaged or has deteriorated, which could occur during flooding or clean-up activities,” Ms Bell said.
“If you are cleaning up after the recent floods, and handling materials that may contain asbestos, you need to take precautions to protect yourself and those around you.”
Casey council has provided tips about how to safely remove asbestos, but Archicentre state manager David Hallett said he recommended calling in professional contractors to handle such material.
“If you want to err on the side of caution you would say even a small bit of exposure could be dangerous,” Mr Hallett said.
Removing asbestos materials was not a DIY job, he said.
“As long as you’re not breaking the sheets up and creating dust it’s not unsafe, but if you’re looking to get it removed and disposed of you really need to be getting in specialist contractors.”