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e-Toolkit

Asbestos-related disease

A note from our CEO
Section I: Taking action to eliminate asbestos-related diseases
Actions leading to national bans on asbestos
Towards a global ban on asbestos
International bilateral & multilateral mechanisms
History of Mining, consumption production and use of asbestos
Transitioning to alternative non-asbestos materials
Proactive removal of ageing legacy asbestos materials
Section II: Country summaries, case studies and resources
Country summaries
Case studies
Research on ARDs
Section III: What asbestos is and the risks it poses
What asbestos is and how to identify it
Exposure pathways
Asbestos removal, management and disposal
Asbestos in fibres in drinking water
Public health risks from asbestos cement products
Section IV: Health impacts of exposure to asbestos
What are asbestos-related diseases
How are asbestos-related diseases diagnosed?
Can ARDs be treated?
Patient support, care and information
Reporting, coding and registration of ARDs

Australia

Australia imposed a total ban on the mining, manufacture and use of asbestos on 31 December 2003, including chrysotile asbestos. This ban was the culmination of many years of smaller bans and restrictions put in place by Australian State or Territory governments to limit the damage of asbestos on the community.

Because of the prolonged use of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in a number of several industries across Australia, it now faces a massive problem of legacy ACMs which are present in both domestic housing and commercial infrastructure. Over 1.5 million tonnes of all forms of asbestos were imported into Australia between 1930-1983[i].

This combined with locally mined asbestos, resulted in an estimated 12.8 million tonnes of asbestos containing materials being placed in the built environment from 1920 through to 2003. Eventually all this material will require removal and disposal.

To ensure that management and removal of legacy ACMs is achieved safely there needs to be:

  1. a national strategic plan to drive, focus and coordinate efforts to address asbestos-related issues across communities
  2. systems of laws, regulations and guidance across the workplace, public health and environment to protect the community from asbestos exposure. Identification, management, removal, transportation and disposal of ACMs all need to be strictly controlled so as not to put the workforce and broader community at risk. The laws need to be aligned so they complement each other and include significant penalties for breaches of them. There also needs to be an inspectorate established to enforce compliance with the laws.

Developing a National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management

​Having a national strategic plan ensures there is consistent and coordinated approach to asbestos awareness, management and removal. A national strategic plan provides the framework to direct and coordinate asbestos management and awareness over several years or decades.

The national strategic plan should contain:

An aim – for example, to eliminate asbestos related-diseases in Australia (or other Country) by preventing exposure to asbestos fibres.

Priority areas for action – these are critical areas that must be addressed to improve awareness and management. The priority areas should relate to the asbestos life cycle (i.e., identification, management, removal and disposal). Priority areas include: Improve asbestos awareness to influence behavioural change, Identification and effective legacy management, Safe removal, handling and storage and Effective waste management.

Targets – the plan should contain practical and achievable targets to focus activities and to allow the measurement of progress.

Australia’s Asbestos National Strategic Plan 2024 – 2030 is an example of such an approach.

​Systems of laws, regulations and guidance across the workplace, public health, environment and transport to protect the community from asbestos exposure.

​Effective management of the health risks that arise from potential exposure to asbestos requires systems of laws, regulations and guidance to be in place across the workplace, public health and the environment. Identification, management, removal, transportation and disposal of asbestos needs to be strictly controlled so as not to put the workforce and broader community at risk.

The laws need to be aligned so they complement each other and include significant penalties for breaches of them. There also needs to be an inspectorate established to enforce compliance with the laws. An example of Australian’s regulatory framework for asbestos is provided below.

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