Asbestos
Information for Queensland public housing tenants living in Queensland public housing properties.
How can I tell if my home contains asbestos?
If you live in a home that was built before 1990, it may contain asbestos in the materials used to build it. Many homes and buildings in Queensland built during this period contain asbestos-containing materials.
Asbestos-containing materials were mainly used as wall and floor sheeting, roofing and pipes. In most homes, exposed surfaces are sealed and covered with paint.
The department has installed asbestos warning stickers in public housing properties built before 1990 to alert tenants to the possible presence of asbestos-containing material. If you cannot find an asbestos warning sticker and are concerned your home may contain asbestos, contact your nearest Housing Service Centre for advice.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is the name for a group of naturally occurring minerals that form into strong, heat-resistant microscopic fibres.
From the 1940s to the late 1980s, asbestos was used as a binding product in home building materials such as wall and floor sheeting, roofing and pipes.
Asbestos was also used in items such as thermal insulation, fire-proofing materials, brake linings, and clutches.
Many Australian homes built during this period may include asbestos-containing materials.
Does asbestos present a health risk?
Normal daily activities such as walking through your home, using doors and cupboards, or children playing indoors are unlikely to disturb well‑maintained, sealed asbestos-containing materials, and asbestos is not likely to pose a risk to health if it is firmly bonded in building materials and its fibres are not airborne.
If asbestos-containing materials are disturbed or broken and the microscopic fibres become airborne, they can become a health risk when breathed into the lungs.
Unsafe removal or damage of asbestos-containing materials can contaminate your home and increase the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres.
My home may contain asbestos - what should I do?
If there is significant damage (for example after a storm, fire or accident) and you think asbestos-containing materials may have been disturbed, keep people away from the area and avoid creating dust. Then contact your nearest Housing Service Centre’s as soon as possible to request maintenance.
To help keep you and your household safe, do not:
- disturb any area that has been damaged
- try to do any work that involves sawing, drilling, water blasting, grinding or sanding at your property before getting approval from your nearest Housing Service Centre
- dust, sweep or vacuum dust or debris that may contain asbestos
- use abrasive brushes, pads or power strippers to remove wax from an asbestos floor tile
- remove vinyl sheeting or vinyl tile floor coverings
- remove ceiling finishes from the underside of the concrete floor of the unit above
- sand or try to level a floor after vinyl sheeting or vinyl tile floor coverings have been removed by someone else.
If asbestos-related work is required at your property, the department will arrange appropriately licensed contractors to assess and, if needed, safely remove or manage the material.
Helpful information
More information and support about asbestos and asbestos-related disease is available from: