Mr Fluffy Asbestos Insulation

For the past two decades the government has been cleaning and removing loose fill asbestos insulation found in homes. This asbestos was originally supplied (some 50 years ago) by a local material supplier styled as "Mr. Fluffy Asbestos".

Unfortunately, the $100 million program to locate and remove this particularly dangerous form of asbestos was not successful in locating all affected homes. Meanwhile the clock has been ticking and there have been signs that this loose fill asbestos insulation has been getting into air ducts and entering into living spaces. There are hundreds of properties in Queanbeyan region that still contain Mr Fluffy asbestos insulation. Worse, these homeowners continue to be blissfully unaware of the danger present in their homes. Consequently, the government has now gone into overdrive and the issue has managed to get some media attention.

Naturally, folks who have just found out about Mr Fluffy asbestos insulation are wondering if their home contains any of this material. To find out, a visit to the local Environment and Planning Directorate (EPD) office would prove beneficial especially if the home was one of those surveyed during the 1988-93 asbestos home survey. The EPD also has a website here: http://tinyurl.com/lvz35mm

However, it has now been found that not all homes were covered during the survey. If your home was built between the 70's through mid 90's and you think your home might contain Mr Fluffy Asbestos, you should register with the Asbestos Response Taskforce and request for an FREE asbestos assessment. There are also private licensed businesses that undertake such asbestos assessment.

Once the asbestos assessment is done and if it indicates the presence of loose-fill asbestos in your home, you should contact Asbestos Response Taskforce ( asbestostaskforce@act.gov.au ) for further process. You can also contact them at Canberra Connect on 13 22 81. If you are the home or property owner and there are tenants living or working on the property, you have a legal obligation to inform them of the presence of such Legionella Testing Australia in your home. Similarly, if the property is currently listed for sale you should inform your agent of the presence of loose-fill asbestos in the property.

If the Asbestos Response Taskforce determines that it is unsafe to continue living on the property, you will be paid a support grant of up to $10,000 per household and an additional $2,000 for each dependent child residing in that Air Quality inspection affected home. If the Asbestos Response Taskforce determines that some or all of the wardrobe contents need to be destroyed, a further grant of $1,000 will be made available to help cover the cost of buying replacements.

Acknowledging that people forced to leave their current homes and settle themselves in new homes would present grave financial consequences to the homeowners, the government has now offered to buy back all such homes affected by loose-fill asbestos and determined to be too dangerous for people to live in it. More information on the buyback scheme is available here: http://www.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/659528/Homeowner-Guide.pdf

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