You can’t tell by looking if a material contains asbestos. Get help from a licensed asbestos assessor to identify asbestos in your reno or site.
Use our Asbestos Checker if you think you might find asbestos in your home or on the worksite
Asbestos is a group of naturally-occurring fibrous minerals. Asbestos was used in over 3000 products before 1990. Millions of Australian homes contain asbestos. Asbestos-containing materials come in a range of forms, colours and textures. It was common for asbestos to be mixed with cement or other bonding agents. Some building materials may have a warning label for asbestos — but no label doesn’t mean no asbestos.
Asbestos is a group of naturally-occurring fibrous minerals. Asbestos was used in over 3000 products before 1990. Millions of Australian homes contain asbestos.
Asbestos-containing materials come in a range of forms, colours and textures. It was common for asbestos to be mixed with cement or other bonding agents. Some building materials may have a warning label for asbestos — but no label doesn’t mean no asbestos.
You can’t tell by looking if a material contains asbestos. Get help from a licensed asbestos assessor. They may have the material checked by an accredited asbestos testing lab.
Naturally occurring asbestos can be blue, brown, green or white.
When asbestos is mixed with other things, or is painted over, the colour can change.
Asbestos has no taste or smell. You can’t identify asbestos by smelling it. Trying to smell it could put you at risk of breathing in fibres.
If you are exposed to asbestos, you may link the smell to the material it was in — like soil, rock, insulation or fibro.
A licensed asbestos assessor can confirm asbestos by inspecting the material and confirming with an accredited asbestos testing lab.
If you identify asbestos in your home or at your worksite, it needs careful management under NSW guidelines and laws.
