Asbestos is a group of naturally-occurring fibrous minerals.
Asbestos was used to create cheap, lightweight, and fire-resistant materials for use in:
Millions of Australian homes contain asbestos. Asbestos is common in NSW homes and buildings constructed or renovated before 1990.
The two types of asbestos are:
friable — when dry it can be crumbled, pulverised or reduced to a powder in the hand
non-friable — when dry it cannot be crumbled, pulverised or reduced to a powder by hand pressure. It is mixed with cement or other bonding materials and is also known as bonded asbestos.
Non-friable asbestos can become friable asbestos if the asbestos is damaged or old.
Find out more about friable and non-friable asbestos.
Asbestos is found in its natural mineral form in soil and rock. Check the map for naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) in NSW.
