Asbestos exposed in my rental flat? Advice wanted.

wookie008

When you say asbestos, do you mean you think you have artex which may or may not contain asbestos?

teneighty

As others have said the textured coating has to be tested to tell for certain if it contains asbestos.

However even if it does contain asbestos, textured coatings/artex are a very low risk. The actual asbestos content is very low, it is the least hazardous white asbestos and if the coating is not damaged the release of fibres is unlikely.

By the way Australia was one of the major sources of raw asbestos so I would be very surprised if it isn't quite widespread in the older buildings.

societys_child

To me it looks more like some type of "ripple coat" paint. (paint with some type of sand mixed)
Artex is much smoother and tends to hold the water, stretching to form "blisters" on the ceiling (first hand experience) The Artex didn't rip like whatever that is in the pic has.

Note that this is just my opinion.

casper_g

I think the OP was concerned that the material (plasterboard or alternative) might contain asbestos, as it looks friable/dusty where it's exposed and affected by the damp. But of course, the textured coating could contain it as well depending on its age.

By the way, there's plenty of asbestos in Australian buildings too! The country's Asbestos Safety and Eradication Authority says Australia was one of the highest per-capita users of asbestos prior to the mid 80s, and anything built before about 1990 is likely to contain at least some. https://asbestossafety.gov.au/asbestos-information

AdviceWanted

Hi All,

I'm at work so I've got to be quick but many thanks for your replies. Casper was right. I'm concerned about the stuff underneath the ceiling paint (that looks friable and dusty). If anyone with some experience has any advice regarding this it would be greatly appreciated. As is all the advice you have already given.

And I knew there were several high profile class actions in Australia to do with Asbestos but I had no idea it was so prevalent! I think I've just been lucky in that the apartment I had in Aus which I spent most of my time staying in there was quite newly constructed.

I realise it's impossible to know for sure from that photo but if anyone has advice about if it's likely to be a real threat or not that would be great. I've emailed the landlord following my call yesterday and if he dodges it I'll probably get a tester to come in independently. But in the meantime I'd value some experience opinions on whether I'm mostly being paranoid or not.

AdviceWanted

Just a quick update. I finally spoke to the landlord today. He seemed confident there's no issue with Asbestos. I spoke to the agent the other day and asked her if repair workers are usually required to wear dust masks when they renovate apartments in the building. She said no. So all in all that seems reassuring. Thanks for your help all.