By Nick McKenzie, ABC News Asbestos paints have been found in pipes in New South Wales, according to a new report.
The Queensland Health Department said it had received a number of complaints about asbestos in pipes.
“It is important to note that asbestos has a very low cancer risk, it does not pose a public health risk,” the department said in a statement.
“However, we do recommend that all households be vigilant to asbestos and that the use of asbestos paint in all household products be monitored.”
The report said the asbestos paint was found on the underside of the pipe, not in the top.
The department said it was working with the owner of the building to determine how the paint came to be in the pipes.
It said there was no evidence to suggest that asbestos had been used in the building.
“The use of any of these materials would not pose any risk to public health,” it said.
The ASH’s lead asbestos expert, Professor John Fenton, said there were no known health risks from asbestos.
“These paint particles do not pose an immediate risk of cancer to people,” he said.
“In fact they have been used for a long time in Australia for a number years, in particular in residential construction.”
He said the paint was not an indicator of asbestos in the pipe.
“There’s no evidence that it’s a carcinogen and that it has any effect on the body or other parts of the body,” Professor Fenton said.
Professor Fenton is currently conducting an investigation into the safety of asbestos on the roof of a house in Brisbane.
He said it would be interesting to know whether asbestos was used in those pipes.
Topics:asbestos,environment,environmental-policy,nsw,brisbane-4000,brisbane-act,australiaMore stories from Queensland
The post Asbestos paint found in a pipe in NSW appeared first on Asbestos Testing>asbestos .