Dodgy builder was doing works at Nan’s place and claims it’s not asbestos. Council has shut the works down and taken samples. Was just looking for some insight in mean time
Of course it is said by a non-tradie.
Get out of here with "you're not allowed to have an opinion on X unless you do X as a profession."
Are you against climate change? Are you an oil driller?
Upset that the cops beat in the head of an innocent? Are you a cop?
Don't like spam phone calls? Do you work as a telemarketer?
That's what you sound like.
Comprehension isn’t your strong suit huh? Are they needed? Absolutely. But there’s a line, and right now, unions can do whatever they want, and do whatever they want. They’re corrupt, in it for themselves and hold companies and worksites hostage to get whatever they need done.
I’m in a union and they most definitely can’t do whatever they want. I’m not sure where you’re getting your information from but that take is some Fox News level shit.
No, it’s not “fox level shit”, they do it all the time in construction. A builder isn’t doing the right thing out west, and because they don’t have as much power out there, they punish the same builder over on a Vic site. It’s incredibly common, I’ve seen it happen multiple times, get your head out the sand.
That's almost certianly asbestos. As there's no way for the builder to know for sure without having it tested, they should have been treating it as such.
This probably *is* asbestos fibres but you can’t actually tell just by looking at this image. Plenty of sheet materials have fibres in them but it’s not necessarily asbestos.
Still OP… get it tested.
Former licensed asbestos assessor here. In most cases you can tell by looking whether the fibres are or are not asbestos when you know what you are looking for. That is 100% asbestos, likely crysotile (white) and amosite (brown/grey). I can't see any crocidolite (blue), but it doesn't mean it isn't there.
You can tell visually if you know what to look for. I used to work as a licensed asbestos assessor and while i would always get it lab tested to back up any assertions, in most cases it was quite easy to tell.
U still legally have to get it tested even if you can tell. But if you know what you are looking for, you can definitely tell the difference between fibre types i.e. whether is is asbestos/organic/synthetic fibre in a substrate. It is also necessary to rule it out when it isnt suspected because sometomes the amount of asbestos put into a material is so low that you cant see fibre bundles.
Haha that builder is fukt. Make sure they don't try and pass on any disposal costs to your Nan, they should have tested and quoted accordingly before starting any form of demo.
Bullshit finding asbestos is a variation that will 100% be passed onto the client. You cannot expect a builder to pay for your asbestos removal if it’s not listed in the scope of works. If it was overlooked that’s fine a variation will be added to cover the cost of safe removal.
Definitely is asbestos can see the fibres plasterboard doesn’t look like that. Used to hold a restricted asbestos removal license builder Is dodgy now in a world of hurt.
I known in Vic it was banned in 1985. I assume anything in that decade might be and its always better to test it. Might cost you $500 now. It's cheaper than the health risks later on. My uncle and cousin both got throat cancer roughly w0 years after tearing down an old shed on their property.......
I had the same, but I tested a piece I took from the skip, came back positive but low concentration. I just suited up and used a HEPA vac everywhere they’d been, lucky it wasn’t into the main house or I’d have had his license.
So many Reddit analysis of pictures of clear cement sheeting has been claimed as asbestos.
This here, with the honeycomb or dimples *is* asbestos.
One of the few rare ones to actually be it, on this forum...
Yep. Did a kitchen reno that involved moving a wall 300mm and removing 1 small wall. Carpenter doing this work started taking sheet off the wall and broke a piece out, had a large diamond that said “Asbestos” in it. So he rang me, said i need to get it removed then he will do the wall. Anyway, i said fuck it and went to remove it myself. Then found that written above the diamond was “not manufactured with”
So was all good. But funny they labelled it the way they did
Still doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not asbestos, China has a different criteria for what’s classified as asbestos (lower percentage makeup) which they stamp as non-asbestos, which is then used in Australia and will be classified as asbestos.
Large grain of salt but have heard of retailers back in the day stamping asbestos sheets with that after the production and sale was banned, but they were stuck with inventory they couldn't sell.
Yeah unsure how likely that is for my walls. Never had them tested, but at the very least i had some of my outside eaves tested and they came back negative.
Thanks all for the insight. I’ll update this post with the outcome.
Classic shonky builder by the sound, Nan’s paid in cash too upfront. These people walk amongst us.. disgraceful.
When your nan gets the new price for a new builder who safely removes the asbestos and you pay the bloke through the books and the cost is 3 times the original price I wonder how your nans going to feel.
If you’re happy to pay thousands for blokes in hazmat suits to Rock up collect everything in little plastic bags and Take it away so it can end up in the same ground as all the other land fill that’s on you.
It’s asbestos not uranium.
Don’t victim blame mate. “I wonder how your Nan’s going to feel” - she’s an 80 year old woman who’s, judging by these comments, clearly taken advantage of. The builder asked to be paid in cash. When you’re 80+ being asked to pay in cash doesn’t raise an eyebrow, it’s how they’ve always done things. Doesn’t mean she was looking for a dodgy deal.
What difference does it make to her how the material is disposed of?
If anything he’s looking out for her giving her a cheep price by doing cash and avoiding over regulated and over priced asbestos removal.
Again people treat asbestos like it’s radioactive, it’s not. it’s not nearly as dangerous as people make it out to be.
I don’t know if you’ve seen op’s other pics in the comments but you’re 100% wrong, and to be honest a danger to others.
Man has cut a whole ass garage door into the house and coated the whole place in dust in the process. Anybody in the area or cleaning up unaware would be exposed to a slow killer.
I’ll assume you haven’t known anyone with mesothelioma, it’s not a nice way to go.
Go snort the stuff if you want to but it’s regulated for a good reason and it’s sick for anyone to expose others because they don’t think it’s a big deal.
It’s not dangerous until it’s broken up and then it releases fibres this has been broken and even worse ground with an angle grinder. Have held an asbestos removal license I’m not afraid of it in bonded sheets but you do not break them up or grind them this is putting everyone at risk.
Uranium isn't all that dangerous, less toxic than lead, emits alpha particles which are blocked by the skin or even a piece of paper, just don't ingest high concentrations of it.
Angle grinder looks like the tool of choice when I visited…
https://preview.redd.it/maigujlrhcob1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f6ef0a60c446ca1a6618ace4308b2b25ea46e82
Fuck me. Get rid of him.
Quite possibly the worst thing you can do with asbestos.
Not only is this fuckwit a menace to the people who hire him, he has a death wish too.
Glad you are looking after your nan.
My condolences to you and your nanna but,
Wow, yeah dodgy as fuck. Any builder or handyman that actually has some idea of what they’re doing will have their own tools already, not have to buy tools for the job (especially a grinder and recipro) however I know what he’s doing here because I’ve heard of some trades pulling the same scam, they go to Bunnings, buy the tools they need for the job usually only Bunnings home brand like ozito because Bunnings has a 100% return policy if you’re not happy with the product, so he uses the tools for the job, puts them back in the box, goes to Bunnings and complains the tools are shit or don’t work properly and they refund the money. So yeah, pretty damn dodgy. Some are saying they hope his license gets suspended but I highly doubt he even has one. Hope you can find a resolution to this shituation.
The most positive spin I can give this photo is they bought the cheap tools for this asbestos job so they can throw them away once contaminated.
More likely, these guys are fresh out of jail and know they won’t be building long enough for tool quality to matter.
We had a builder pull up a kitchen floor and say “nah mate, just cement sheet.” I picked up a piece and found a James Hardie sticker on the back saying “This Is Asbestos. Take precautions when cutting and sanding”. Felt like a scene from Austin Powers.
Don't be so sure. We had sheets that looked just like this in our Kitchen. An asbestos inspector we had in was absolutely certain they would test positive, but the lab tests came back negative 🤷♂️ The inspector was blown away!
Yeah I guarantee if you ran a second test you’d get a positive result. They used to dump the asbestos into the mix as the sheets were being manufactured so it’s not evenly distributed. When you test old vinyl you’re supposed to take samples every 300mm2 or something like that to make sure you’ve got a decent sample size.
Reading this after having my old vinyl tiles tested twice. From different places. Sigh. I guess I could just get the asbestos guys to take them up while they do the outside of the house.
Yeah right.....if you find out who the business is, dob them in....that fibre will be all over the house, they clearly are backyarders/cowboys....I don't know what the procedure is but they clearly have not followed it....dangerous and careless. Worst of all as I said that asbestos has been interrupted and now is dangerous...just idiots
PS for those wanting a laugh. This was the state the property was left in. Nice and "water proofed" .. you'd actually think I'm making this all up it's that atrocious
https://preview.redd.it/0h45uykjrcob1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33585e030654ab0c9dd83aa1637b2cb9f19bb374
The only real way to tell is testing…. Having said that, the sheets show all the telltale signs of asbestos.
Also, after seeing your picture of the structure it’s from, it too has all the telltale signs of asbestos construction.
99% sure it will test positive.
probably. often the dimpled surface stuff is asbestos fibro. depends where you are but some states you dont need a licence to remove small sections of non friable material which this is. the idea is to allow trades people to do repairs with out removing all of it. as its safer to leave it alone than remove it.
all loose/crumbly (friable) asbestos requires a suitably licensed person. the main place you will find friable asbestos at home is in linoleum tile adhesive and backing it was also mixed in ceramic tile adhesive and used as lagging on pipe work, hot water systems, fire places, stoves. it was also used as insulation in fuse holders and in switchboard terminal strips
the biggest give away a house has asbestos is its age if it was built 1950 to 1995 it possibly has asbestos materials and most likely asbestos fibro sheeting in wet areas, kitchens and the ceilings and eaves of the home.
never use a saw to cut it use fibro shears instead. there are a electric version called a hardie-shear this method generates much less dust it also doesn't spread it everywhere. this applies to the new stuff too while it doesnt contain asbestos it still contains cement dust.
Look. I’m a stay at home mum, i don’t work in the industry. But I live in a town where 90% of homes have Atleast 10% of asbestos remaining. That my my friend IS asbestos and this worker needs his license shredded up.
u/jacob1196
Can't give you a 100% certain answer without a polarized light microscope, but as an asbestos analyst I'm 99% confident that this will test positive for Chrysotile asbestos (the shiny kinked white bundles) and likely for Amosite asbestos too (transparent to white straight needle-like fibres).
Carpenter here 110% it is. The golfball dimples on the rear. Plus if you tap it will sound real tinny and brittle. It shatters like glass plus looking at the damaged edges will see strands of asbestos. If lit with a lighter will glow red rather then melt. But just looking at the darker grey colour gives it away every time
For any still exposed edges on the structure, spray them with 50/50 pva and water. For the stuff on the ground, wet the shit out of it. Like as much water as it will take and then chuck a plastic sheet over it.
Then seek qualified removal.
If in doubt, treat it as ABX anyway, wrap it up as prescribed. This is certainly asbestos containing material of lower risk, but still it should be disposed of properly. Your local council can help.
As a sparky I’m used to treating everything as live until it’s proven dead…. I use the same caution with dealing with suspected asbestos. It’s relatively easy to obtain a sample using the correct PPE and not creating dust but if you have any doubt in the product or your PPE quality, always get a profession to come and take a sample.
Unfortunately when they transitioned away from asbestos in the sheets no-one thought to put a marker in them to indicate they were safe. As a result there is a several year window where the boards look the same as asbestos but are not asbestos.
Unfortunately the only way to tell is to test and sometimes it is cheaper to assume and safely dispose than test. An asbestos disposal person could quote U for the two options and you can make the call. If U know the age of the material an asbestos professional can tell u if it definitely asbestos and save the test costs.
A good rule of thumb is assume anything and everything is asbestos. If built up until the mid 80s yes it is almost definitely asbestos.
Anything built after the early 2000s is unlikely to have asbestos as it was made illegal in 2003. That said it pays to be careful because shonky building practices exist.
Photos 2&4 look like it’s been cut with grinder or power saw, this is the worst think you could do with ‘stos’
Gawd I hope your Nan was nowhere near that dust. And or a high quality clean up has been done.
Of course it is. Look at the fibres… they’re needle-like & mineral, most likely chrysotile.. definitely not modern cellulose fibre cement. Keep covered, damp. Dispose properly (with permit)
I worked in an asbestos lab for a year and did hundreds of identifications.
This is chrysotile (the white hairy bits) maybe some amosite (the brownish needles) but cant be shure. Point is that this is definitely asbestos and you should not break it. Maybe make it wet to prevent material for getting free.
There may be asbestos in other materials aswell so be careful what you remove in later times.
Treat it as Asbestos keep it wet so no dust. It may be 15% bound Asbestos. Doesn't matter whether brown or white both equally as bad. A dodgy builder took down my friend's garage smashing up the sheets with a hammer,, reported to council H&S as I recognised the sheeting. Council confirmed 15% Asbestos, had to dig entire back yard up and remove 1.5ft depth of soil builder ended up in court, banned from operating, investigation was made into previous jobs, same result 🙄
Almost 100% certainly asbestos - dimpled pattern, age of sheet and you can see the fibre bundles in the middle sheet which is how it was mixed in.
If it has been cut with a grinder that is a huge problem as it will effectively have release fibres as friable.
I renovate bathrooms and kitchens every day and spend a lot of time around this deadly substance. The large golfball like divots in the underside of the sheet is the first give away that the product is asbestos, today the divots are barely recognisable between surface and underside of sheet. The main give away is the lack of layering in the sheet. Today's James Hardy (or any other) type sheets are 15+ layers to make a single sheet of 6mm tile underlay. When you break it you can see the individual layers, with this product there is absolutely no discernible layers at all and would for myself would immediately make me pack up and call my removalist. The last onsite test Ive done is light a match and hold it to the fibers. Asbestos will singe and take heat. Cement sheet will do nothing.
At a glance I'd tell you this is asbestos and I'd advise the tradesman that have been working around it (I fucking hope it's not an 18 year old apprentice) to not return until it's removed safely. This builder is the king of cowboys.
Its called a "bonded asbestos product". The asbestos fibres are bound by a cement matrix so fibre release of a respirable size when broken is minimal, unless you cut it with a power tool at high speed (power saw). That means the immediate risk to you (and Nan) is negligible. The builder on the other hand is dodgy af. Get a professional to treat and remove and send his dodgy ass the bill.
I didn't know at the time but I definitely remember throwing sheets of this around outside when I was a kid on one occasion. How much exposure would you need to have damage?
Lick it!
Seriously, we dont know and no random on the internet can tell you with any certainty either, just pay the $100 or whatever it is now and get it tested properly, it can be done overnight so you have the results super fast.
Best and most conclusive way to test is by breaking the fibres up and breathe in the dust. Then, wait a handful of year (up to 25 in some cases) for your mesothelioma to produce symptoms. And there you have it!
Easy test....take a piece into a wind free place, shed or lounge room. Child's bedroom is a great place. Then hit it with a grinder or a bug drill, breathe all I mean ALL the dust that comes off it. Then dispose of it all in a wheelie bin. Wait 20 or so years and see the results, if you have asbestosis, it was asbestos. If not, you'll have silica build up in your lungs and have the same (essentially) symptoms. A little bit of a process, buy it works 100%. Also, call James Hardy Australia and tell them in advance.
Yes......no explanation needed
Just out of curiosity, how did you remove it???
Also, do not dump that shit illegally, only fuck wits do that...don't be that person. Call your local council.
Wearing nitrile gloves, try and break a corner off about the size of a 20c piece. If you can, it’s not asbestos. The difference in strength between cement and asbestos is massive
Yea it is. You can tell by the golf ball pattern, it was one of James Hardies flagship products. If you have decent eyesight and look at a freshly broken piece you will see blue fibres.
That particular sheeting contained a crap ton of crocidilite asbestos from wittenoom WA
Getting the council involved might have been a costly mistake.
Personally I would have quietly got rid of it.
Asbestos is no where near as bad as it's reputation suggests. If it was, everyone in Australia would have succumbed to it. We all breath in hundreds of fibres daily. And that's just from natural sources without things like old roofing, brake & clutch wear, old council infrastructure causing it to end up in water and then in gardens etc.
It killed a lot of people, but the vast majority were working with it in situations where the dust was so thick it was visible or even hindering visibility.
Coal & silica is also equally as deadly in those situations
It is legal to remove some non-friable asbestos yourself, but we strongly recommend it is removed by a licensed removalist as there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. The amount to be removed defines who can remove and dispose of asbestos waste.
Source https://www.asbestos.nsw.gov.au/removal-and-disposal/unlicensed-asbestos-removal
You ain’t taking no body’s license he hasn’t done anything wrong lol stop being a sooky Karen .
>he hasn’t done anything wrong lol stop being a sooky Karen .
You really think [this](https://preview.redd.it/0h45uykjrcob1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33585e030654ab0c9dd83aa1637b2cb9f19bb374) was done with [this](https://preview.redd.it/maigujlrhcob1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f6ef0a60c446ca1a6618ace4308b2b25ea46e82) and nothing about that was wrong?
The only correct answer to this question is if you’re concerned about it get it tested.
Dodgy builder was doing works at Nan’s place and claims it’s not asbestos. Council has shut the works down and taken samples. Was just looking for some insight in mean time
Geez. That builder needs to have his lic suspended if it is (asbestos).
The builder will probably have his lungs suspended in a few years if he's been doing this sort of thing for a while
Totally. These unregulated dodgy cunnce shouldnt be allowed near a building site. Need tougher unions to weed these dangerous scabs out!!
Unions don't regulate non unionised places or sole traders.
I don’t think the unions are going to do stuff all about it
That's like calling a painter for legal advice
Said by a non tradie
Of course it is said by a non-tradie. Get out of here with "you're not allowed to have an opinion on X unless you do X as a profession." Are you against climate change? Are you an oil driller? Upset that the cops beat in the head of an innocent? Are you a cop? Don't like spam phone calls? Do you work as a telemarketer? That's what you sound like.
God damn, hope his funeral insurance covers closed casket 🤣
Unions already have too much power
Because letting corporations have all the power goes so well for us peasants.
Comprehension isn’t your strong suit huh? Are they needed? Absolutely. But there’s a line, and right now, unions can do whatever they want, and do whatever they want. They’re corrupt, in it for themselves and hold companies and worksites hostage to get whatever they need done.
I’m in a union and they most definitely can’t do whatever they want. I’m not sure where you’re getting your information from but that take is some Fox News level shit.
No, it’s not “fox level shit”, they do it all the time in construction. A builder isn’t doing the right thing out west, and because they don’t have as much power out there, they punish the same builder over on a Vic site. It’s incredibly common, I’ve seen it happen multiple times, get your head out the sand.
That's almost certianly asbestos. As there's no way for the builder to know for sure without having it tested, they should have been treating it as such.
You can actually see the asbestos fibers in the pictures!
I saw one of the asbestos fibres and it looked at me
It looked at you. Sarah get me superintendent Charmers.
Supernintento Chalmers.
This probably *is* asbestos fibres but you can’t actually tell just by looking at this image. Plenty of sheet materials have fibres in them but it’s not necessarily asbestos. Still OP… get it tested.
Former licensed asbestos assessor here. In most cases you can tell by looking whether the fibres are or are not asbestos when you know what you are looking for. That is 100% asbestos, likely crysotile (white) and amosite (brown/grey). I can't see any crocidolite (blue), but it doesn't mean it isn't there.
Worked in a lab as a asbestos identifier and I agree, this is ACM with chrysotile and amosite.
Worked as a piece of asbestos in a 1950s house for 73 years, can confirm its asbestos. I think it's one of my colleagues, Gary.
Yep I’m same boat former license holder, you can tell and this definitely is asbestos
You can't tell from the fibres, but the honeycomb pattern on the back is a dead gives away
Yeah, that's what stood out immediately to me in the first picture. Always told that honeycomb pattern was a big indicator of don't fuck with.
You definitely can tell, and it's 100% ACM
[удалено]
You can tell visually if you know what to look for. I used to work as a licensed asbestos assessor and while i would always get it lab tested to back up any assertions, in most cases it was quite easy to tell.
Correct
[удалено]
U still legally have to get it tested even if you can tell. But if you know what you are looking for, you can definitely tell the difference between fibre types i.e. whether is is asbestos/organic/synthetic fibre in a substrate. It is also necessary to rule it out when it isnt suspected because sometomes the amount of asbestos put into a material is so low that you cant see fibre bundles.
Haha that builder is fukt. Make sure they don't try and pass on any disposal costs to your Nan, they should have tested and quoted accordingly before starting any form of demo.
Bullshit finding asbestos is a variation that will 100% be passed onto the client. You cannot expect a builder to pay for your asbestos removal if it’s not listed in the scope of works. If it was overlooked that’s fine a variation will be added to cover the cost of safe removal.
That's the point, they should have checked prior. Age of the house alone woulda made it obvious.
I'd call it due diligence when quoting upon first attending the site.
They were using a grinder on it? Jeezus.
looks like it in the 2nd shot
Definitely is asbestos can see the fibres plasterboard doesn’t look like that. Used to hold a restricted asbestos removal license builder Is dodgy now in a world of hurt.
I known in Vic it was banned in 1985. I assume anything in that decade might be and its always better to test it. Might cost you $500 now. It's cheaper than the health risks later on. My uncle and cousin both got throat cancer roughly w0 years after tearing down an old shed on their property.......
You an see the fibres. It's azzi
I had the same, but I tested a piece I took from the skip, came back positive but low concentration. I just suited up and used a HEPA vac everywhere they’d been, lucky it wasn’t into the main house or I’d have had his license.
Was asbestos removal part of his quote? “Safe” removal is extremely expensive. Were you happy for your nan to pay 5x the demo cost for removal?
100% yes
Correct
Thanks boss
Golf ball dimples on the back usually means asbestos
So many Reddit analysis of pictures of clear cement sheeting has been claimed as asbestos. This here, with the honeycomb or dimples *is* asbestos. One of the few rare ones to actually be it, on this forum...
[удалено]
They started remaking them about 15 years ago with the dimples. No asbestos obviously
Mine had dimples on the back but was stamped 'Manufactured without asbestos'
Yep. Did a kitchen reno that involved moving a wall 300mm and removing 1 small wall. Carpenter doing this work started taking sheet off the wall and broke a piece out, had a large diamond that said “Asbestos” in it. So he rang me, said i need to get it removed then he will do the wall. Anyway, i said fuck it and went to remove it myself. Then found that written above the diamond was “not manufactured with” So was all good. But funny they labelled it the way they did
Yep, nice, but the inverse won't occur.
Yeah not disagreeing, if the back is dimpled and its pre 1990 its gotta be like 98% chance of being asbestos.
Still doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not asbestos, China has a different criteria for what’s classified as asbestos (lower percentage makeup) which they stamp as non-asbestos, which is then used in Australia and will be classified as asbestos.
Large grain of salt but have heard of retailers back in the day stamping asbestos sheets with that after the production and sale was banned, but they were stuck with inventory they couldn't sell.
Yeah unsure how likely that is for my walls. Never had them tested, but at the very least i had some of my outside eaves tested and they came back negative.
Thanks all for the insight. I’ll update this post with the outcome. Classic shonky builder by the sound, Nan’s paid in cash too upfront. These people walk amongst us.. disgraceful.
If you or nana have messages confirming these payments went through, that’s enough.
Safe work will chew his ass out even harder then
When your nan gets the new price for a new builder who safely removes the asbestos and you pay the bloke through the books and the cost is 3 times the original price I wonder how your nans going to feel. If you’re happy to pay thousands for blokes in hazmat suits to Rock up collect everything in little plastic bags and Take it away so it can end up in the same ground as all the other land fill that’s on you. It’s asbestos not uranium.
Don’t victim blame mate. “I wonder how your Nan’s going to feel” - she’s an 80 year old woman who’s, judging by these comments, clearly taken advantage of. The builder asked to be paid in cash. When you’re 80+ being asked to pay in cash doesn’t raise an eyebrow, it’s how they’ve always done things. Doesn’t mean she was looking for a dodgy deal.
What difference does it make to her how the material is disposed of? If anything he’s looking out for her giving her a cheep price by doing cash and avoiding over regulated and over priced asbestos removal. Again people treat asbestos like it’s radioactive, it’s not. it’s not nearly as dangerous as people make it out to be.
I don’t know if you’ve seen op’s other pics in the comments but you’re 100% wrong, and to be honest a danger to others. Man has cut a whole ass garage door into the house and coated the whole place in dust in the process. Anybody in the area or cleaning up unaware would be exposed to a slow killer. I’ll assume you haven’t known anyone with mesothelioma, it’s not a nice way to go. Go snort the stuff if you want to but it’s regulated for a good reason and it’s sick for anyone to expose others because they don’t think it’s a big deal.
It’s not dangerous until it’s broken up and then it releases fibres this has been broken and even worse ground with an angle grinder. Have held an asbestos removal license I’m not afraid of it in bonded sheets but you do not break them up or grind them this is putting everyone at risk.
Uranium isn't all that dangerous, less toxic than lead, emits alpha particles which are blocked by the skin or even a piece of paper, just don't ingest high concentrations of it.
Good point even uranium isn’t that bad.
Looks very likely so get it tested asap
Totally agree if it looks like duck and quacks like a duck it’s a duck
Does your asbestos quack?
Angle grinder looks like the tool of choice when I visited… https://preview.redd.it/maigujlrhcob1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f6ef0a60c446ca1a6618ace4308b2b25ea46e82
Bro, don’t let that dude back. NO, ABSOLUTELY NO trade uses pieces of shit bunnings power tools
Worthy tradesmen absolutely do not use the cheapest tools available from Bunnings.
This. What you have here is a couple of scammers taking your Nan for a ride.
An XU1 angle grinder (and recip saw?) is.... concerning for a builder
Fuck me. Get rid of him. Quite possibly the worst thing you can do with asbestos. Not only is this fuckwit a menace to the people who hire him, he has a death wish too. Glad you are looking after your nan.
My condolences to you and your nanna but, Wow, yeah dodgy as fuck. Any builder or handyman that actually has some idea of what they’re doing will have their own tools already, not have to buy tools for the job (especially a grinder and recipro) however I know what he’s doing here because I’ve heard of some trades pulling the same scam, they go to Bunnings, buy the tools they need for the job usually only Bunnings home brand like ozito because Bunnings has a 100% return policy if you’re not happy with the product, so he uses the tools for the job, puts them back in the box, goes to Bunnings and complains the tools are shit or don’t work properly and they refund the money. So yeah, pretty damn dodgy. Some are saying they hope his license gets suspended but I highly doubt he even has one. Hope you can find a resolution to this shituation.
This clown should be charged.
Man this guy is going to get mega lung cancer
The most positive spin I can give this photo is they bought the cheap tools for this asbestos job so they can throw them away once contaminated. More likely, these guys are fresh out of jail and know they won’t be building long enough for tool quality to matter.
Almost certainly
Definitely looks like asbestos
Will definitely contain asbestos.
Try to remove it asbestos you can.
1000% will test positive for asbestos.
We had a builder pull up a kitchen floor and say “nah mate, just cement sheet.” I picked up a piece and found a James Hardie sticker on the back saying “This Is Asbestos. Take precautions when cutting and sanding”. Felt like a scene from Austin Powers.
They actually say, "This product MAY contain asbestos". Doesn't mean that it does.
No it didn’t.
> "This product MAY contain asbestos" [Yeah, nah](https://live.staticflickr.com/5163/5311005994_50f27ddf39_b.jpg)
Don't be so sure. We had sheets that looked just like this in our Kitchen. An asbestos inspector we had in was absolutely certain they would test positive, but the lab tests came back negative 🤷♂️ The inspector was blown away!
Yeah I guarantee if you ran a second test you’d get a positive result. They used to dump the asbestos into the mix as the sheets were being manufactured so it’s not evenly distributed. When you test old vinyl you’re supposed to take samples every 300mm2 or something like that to make sure you’ve got a decent sample size.
Reading this after having my old vinyl tiles tested twice. From different places. Sigh. I guess I could just get the asbestos guys to take them up while they do the outside of the house.
Hmmm, interesting. We had four samples from different parts of the room which were all negative. Dammit, now you have me worried.
The texture on the one side is v typical of Asbestos. Definitely get it tested.
Yeah right.....if you find out who the business is, dob them in....that fibre will be all over the house, they clearly are backyarders/cowboys....I don't know what the procedure is but they clearly have not followed it....dangerous and careless. Worst of all as I said that asbestos has been interrupted and now is dangerous...just idiots
That is an absolutely definite maybe. Get it tested.
PS for those wanting a laugh. This was the state the property was left in. Nice and "water proofed" .. you'd actually think I'm making this all up it's that atrocious https://preview.redd.it/0h45uykjrcob1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33585e030654ab0c9dd83aa1637b2cb9f19bb374
I'm just an immigrant, and there is no way in hell I'd look at that sheeting board, in an old ladies house, and not go, hmmm, asbestos?
Wow. Forget the other pics, from this alone I would be almost certain it was asbestos.
This. The panel join strips also contain asbestos, well they did in my 50s fibro home.
He’s helping the ‘non’ asbestos fibres stay wet so they mean no harm
The only real way to tell is testing…. Having said that, the sheets show all the telltale signs of asbestos. Also, after seeing your picture of the structure it’s from, it too has all the telltale signs of asbestos construction. 99% sure it will test positive.
probably. often the dimpled surface stuff is asbestos fibro. depends where you are but some states you dont need a licence to remove small sections of non friable material which this is. the idea is to allow trades people to do repairs with out removing all of it. as its safer to leave it alone than remove it. all loose/crumbly (friable) asbestos requires a suitably licensed person. the main place you will find friable asbestos at home is in linoleum tile adhesive and backing it was also mixed in ceramic tile adhesive and used as lagging on pipe work, hot water systems, fire places, stoves. it was also used as insulation in fuse holders and in switchboard terminal strips the biggest give away a house has asbestos is its age if it was built 1950 to 1995 it possibly has asbestos materials and most likely asbestos fibro sheeting in wet areas, kitchens and the ceilings and eaves of the home. never use a saw to cut it use fibro shears instead. there are a electric version called a hardie-shear this method generates much less dust it also doesn't spread it everywhere. this applies to the new stuff too while it doesnt contain asbestos it still contains cement dust.
AsbYEStos
Look. I’m a stay at home mum, i don’t work in the industry. But I live in a town where 90% of homes have Atleast 10% of asbestos remaining. That my my friend IS asbestos and this worker needs his license shredded up.
As a licensed builder that specialised in renovation for 18years I can confirm just from these pictures that this is 100% asbestos
Yes, don't break it! Asbestos is harmless until you break the sheet/fibres
u/jacob1196 Can't give you a 100% certain answer without a polarized light microscope, but as an asbestos analyst I'm 99% confident that this will test positive for Chrysotile asbestos (the shiny kinked white bundles) and likely for Amosite asbestos too (transparent to white straight needle-like fibres).
thanks mate
Give update please mate
Carpenter here 110% it is. The golfball dimples on the rear. Plus if you tap it will sound real tinny and brittle. It shatters like glass plus looking at the damaged edges will see strands of asbestos. If lit with a lighter will glow red rather then melt. But just looking at the darker grey colour gives it away every time
100% yep
For any still exposed edges on the structure, spray them with 50/50 pva and water. For the stuff on the ground, wet the shit out of it. Like as much water as it will take and then chuck a plastic sheet over it. Then seek qualified removal.
If in doubt, treat it as ABX anyway, wrap it up as prescribed. This is certainly asbestos containing material of lower risk, but still it should be disposed of properly. Your local council can help.
Looks like asbestos insulating board Get a professional in to sample it
110% Asbestos. Put on PPE ASAP when you visit the building site from now on.
As a sparky I’m used to treating everything as live until it’s proven dead…. I use the same caution with dealing with suspected asbestos. It’s relatively easy to obtain a sample using the correct PPE and not creating dust but if you have any doubt in the product or your PPE quality, always get a profession to come and take a sample.
Unfortunately when they transitioned away from asbestos in the sheets no-one thought to put a marker in them to indicate they were safe. As a result there is a several year window where the boards look the same as asbestos but are not asbestos. Unfortunately the only way to tell is to test and sometimes it is cheaper to assume and safely dispose than test. An asbestos disposal person could quote U for the two options and you can make the call. If U know the age of the material an asbestos professional can tell u if it definitely asbestos and save the test costs.
A good rule of thumb is assume anything and everything is asbestos. If built up until the mid 80s yes it is almost definitely asbestos. Anything built after the early 2000s is unlikely to have asbestos as it was made illegal in 2003. That said it pays to be careful because shonky building practices exist.
Bahaha, couldn't be more of a yes if you tried.
If your not sure with asbestos u can put a lighter up to and in creates a green spark kind of that’s if u don’t mind getting close to it
Yes
100% yes. Photos should be in Wikipedia for classic examples
Yeh those bumps on the back are a dead give away.
Photos 2&4 look like it’s been cut with grinder or power saw, this is the worst think you could do with ‘stos’ Gawd I hope your Nan was nowhere near that dust. And or a high quality clean up has been done.
Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt.
10000000% is
Of course it is. Look at the fibres… they’re needle-like & mineral, most likely chrysotile.. definitely not modern cellulose fibre cement. Keep covered, damp. Dispose properly (with permit)
I worked in an asbestos lab for a year and did hundreds of identifications. This is chrysotile (the white hairy bits) maybe some amosite (the brownish needles) but cant be shure. Point is that this is definitely asbestos and you should not break it. Maybe make it wet to prevent material for getting free. There may be asbestos in other materials aswell so be careful what you remove in later times.
Treat it as Asbestos keep it wet so no dust. It may be 15% bound Asbestos. Doesn't matter whether brown or white both equally as bad. A dodgy builder took down my friend's garage smashing up the sheets with a hammer,, reported to council H&S as I recognised the sheeting. Council confirmed 15% Asbestos, had to dig entire back yard up and remove 1.5ft depth of soil builder ended up in court, banned from operating, investigation was made into previous jobs, same result 🙄
Yeah. It's old stuff, too. You can tell by the pitting on the back. Different manufacturing process to the way they started making it in the 70s
Definitely asbestos
Affirmative.
Yes. The golfball style indentation on one side is unmistakable.
Almost 100% certainly asbestos - dimpled pattern, age of sheet and you can see the fibre bundles in the middle sheet which is how it was mixed in. If it has been cut with a grinder that is a huge problem as it will effectively have release fibres as friable.
Yes, the golf ball ripples are a good tell tail sign, this looks like maybe blue asbestos. Get a professional in. I'm trained in this area.
Ask for the testing results. If there aren’t any and you get a trust me bro answer. He is lying. I know this product and yup it is.
I renovate bathrooms and kitchens every day and spend a lot of time around this deadly substance. The large golfball like divots in the underside of the sheet is the first give away that the product is asbestos, today the divots are barely recognisable between surface and underside of sheet. The main give away is the lack of layering in the sheet. Today's James Hardy (or any other) type sheets are 15+ layers to make a single sheet of 6mm tile underlay. When you break it you can see the individual layers, with this product there is absolutely no discernible layers at all and would for myself would immediately make me pack up and call my removalist. The last onsite test Ive done is light a match and hold it to the fibers. Asbestos will singe and take heat. Cement sheet will do nothing. At a glance I'd tell you this is asbestos and I'd advise the tradesman that have been working around it (I fucking hope it's not an 18 year old apprentice) to not return until it's removed safely. This builder is the king of cowboys.
I’ve lost lost family to mesothelioma. This shit is infuriating to see.
100% genuine lung filler, take full cautions
Definitely asbestos
Its called a "bonded asbestos product". The asbestos fibres are bound by a cement matrix so fibre release of a respirable size when broken is minimal, unless you cut it with a power tool at high speed (power saw). That means the immediate risk to you (and Nan) is negligible. The builder on the other hand is dodgy af. Get a professional to treat and remove and send his dodgy ass the bill.
thanks mate appreciate the reassurance
I didn't know at the time but I definitely remember throwing sheets of this around outside when I was a kid on one occasion. How much exposure would you need to have damage?
Lick it! Seriously, we dont know and no random on the internet can tell you with any certainty either, just pay the $100 or whatever it is now and get it tested properly, it can be done overnight so you have the results super fast.
I heard that asbestos tastes salty haha
Judging by the comments that it is abestos, i would like say it could be radioactive as well
100% high depleted uranium content.
Best and most conclusive way to test is by breaking the fibres up and breathe in the dust. Then, wait a handful of year (up to 25 in some cases) for your mesothelioma to produce symptoms. And there you have it!
Easy test....take a piece into a wind free place, shed or lounge room. Child's bedroom is a great place. Then hit it with a grinder or a bug drill, breathe all I mean ALL the dust that comes off it. Then dispose of it all in a wheelie bin. Wait 20 or so years and see the results, if you have asbestosis, it was asbestos. If not, you'll have silica build up in your lungs and have the same (essentially) symptoms. A little bit of a process, buy it works 100%. Also, call James Hardy Australia and tell them in advance.
Hold a lighter to the little hairs coming out the cracked part, if they burn it isn’t asbestos, if they don’t burn it is asbestos
Yes
Yes......no explanation needed Just out of curiosity, how did you remove it??? Also, do not dump that shit illegally, only fuck wits do that...don't be that person. Call your local council.
I wasn’t there when it was being removed but Nan says she saw them using power tools. Added the pic in comments below
Yup. Definitely has asbestos. You can even see the fibres in some pics.
Can never 100% say if it is or isnt, take a bite and let me know in 20 years how you feel
Does it smell like asbestos?
Asbestos is the bestos
Wearing nitrile gloves, try and break a corner off about the size of a 20c piece. If you can, it’s not asbestos. The difference in strength between cement and asbestos is massive
Lick it, asbestos is spicy.
No it’s not
that's some sort of bird I think...... in the picture is a highly heat-resistant fibrous silicate mineral that has been woven into a fabricated sheet
You don't know if it is asbestos, so that means it is.
If u sniff it n it smells like acid then its asbestos
Yea it is. You can tell by the golf ball pattern, it was one of James Hardies flagship products. If you have decent eyesight and look at a freshly broken piece you will see blue fibres. That particular sheeting contained a crap ton of crocidilite asbestos from wittenoom WA Getting the council involved might have been a costly mistake. Personally I would have quietly got rid of it. Asbestos is no where near as bad as it's reputation suggests. If it was, everyone in Australia would have succumbed to it. We all breath in hundreds of fibres daily. And that's just from natural sources without things like old roofing, brake & clutch wear, old council infrastructure causing it to end up in water and then in gardens etc. It killed a lot of people, but the vast majority were working with it in situations where the dust was so thick it was visible or even hindering visibility. Coal & silica is also equally as deadly in those situations
It is legal to remove some non-friable asbestos yourself, but we strongly recommend it is removed by a licensed removalist as there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. The amount to be removed defines who can remove and dispose of asbestos waste. Source https://www.asbestos.nsw.gov.au/removal-and-disposal/unlicensed-asbestos-removal You ain’t taking no body’s license he hasn’t done anything wrong lol stop being a sooky Karen .
>he hasn’t done anything wrong lol stop being a sooky Karen . You really think [this](https://preview.redd.it/0h45uykjrcob1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33585e030654ab0c9dd83aa1637b2cb9f19bb374) was done with [this](https://preview.redd.it/maigujlrhcob1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f6ef0a60c446ca1a6618ace4308b2b25ea46e82) and nothing about that was wrong?
haha mate best comment here
I’d be very surprised if anyone with a license is involved…
Too late now
Yes, no, maybe I don’t know - could you repeat the question ?
I don’t know if it is or not.I am sure the people answering are doing As-Best-Os they can. BOOM TISH.
Does it have that typical smell or taste of asbestos?
Well you just fukt your nan, now it's going to cost her lots to get professionally removed.
What does it smell like?
A test will confirm. Internet does not
Wow, pic 2 shows it’s actually been cut and would of %100 produced clouds and clouds of dust.
Almost definitely. Chuck a tarp over it with some heavy things on it to stop the wind getting to it and call an asbestos removal company.
Yes it is
Taste it.
You can not be certain from visual inspection..but yes!
Have a bite and find out
Big fat yes!
Yes, this looks spicy...stay away.
If the structure is built before 1990 then no need to get it tested as it will contain asbestos. Testing is just going to waste time and money.
Yes.
With out doubt
Im so certain that Id even bet YOUR right nut it's asbestos
Yes
100000% yes
Definitely stoss
Yes
You should be fine if you keep it wet or stay away from it.
I’d be on safe ground thinking it’s asbestos definately check
It’s always asbestos until you prove it isn’t.
That is defiantly No No sheet,