The first house that we owned in Australia was built in the 1950’s with fibreboard siding. When we had an inspection done on the house we were informed that the siding contained asbestos, a very dangerous and potentially deadly material.

Australia is having Asbestos Awareness Week from the 26 – 30 November, 2012.

There are still a very significant number of buildings in Australia that contain this dangerous material and significant care must be taken when dealing with it. Here are some tips that are offered by the Asbestos Awareness web-site.

• You can’t tell whether building materials contain asbestos just by looking at them!
• If you are in doubt, it is best to assume that you are dealing with asbestos and take every precaution
• The safest way to manage the removal of asbestos is to hire a licensed asbestos removal contractor
• Where asbestos fibres are loose and not bonded into building materials, you must use a professional licensed asbestos removal service
• There are government regulations and your local council may also have policies regarding the removal of asbestos

There are many other good resources on their site and if you are concerned about asbestos or need to deal with it then check it out…