Revelations that Young homes may be riddled with the deadly asbestos Mr Fluffy are quite concerning, council says.
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Young was one of 14 councils across the state to recently receive a letter from The Asbestos Coordination Authority’s Peter Dunphy.
The letter outlined the developing problem of Mr Fluffy in the state and sought to ensure the town’s asbestos policies were up-to-date.
Young Shire Council’s planning, environment and strategic services director Craig Filmer urged residents to seek professional advice if they fear their home may contain the loose-fill asbestos.
“Do not poke your head up unprotected and try to suss it out yourself,” he said.
“If anyone is going to be risky enough to do it themselves, make sure they’ve got all the protective equipment…
“But the stronger recommendation is if, in the past, you’ve seen it or have had concerns…get a licensed asbestos professional to check it out.”
Mr Filmer said it was difficult to know how many, if any, houses in the area were affected.
“Professionally, I think this is quite concerning, we don’t know how big the problem is,” he said.
“The only way to get a list of properties would be from an audit of properties he (Mr Fluffy) may have serviced.
“The whole issue is going to continue to develop.”
Mr Filmer said council had no records of insulation installed in homes.
“No approvals from council were ever required to do this,” he said.
Mr Fluffy was a Canberra based company that used loose-fill asbestos to insulate homes mainly in the 1960s and 70s before the ACT launched a major program in 1988 to rid houses of the asbestos.
But about 1000 homes insulated with Mr Fluffy in Canberra could be demolished after it was revealed they could still be contaminated with the loose-fill asbestos.
No removal or identification program ever occurred in NSW.
Upper House Labor member Steve Whan yesterday told State Parliament the NSW government needed to take action on the issue.
“I would urge the NSW government to actively pursue discussions with the federal government and engage in finding a solution for the people of South Eastern NSW so they aren’t ignored once again in addressing this very serious public health problem,” he said.
LOCALS URGED NOT TO PANIC
“It’s like a black snake,” he said.
“Leave it alone and it will leave you alone.”
This was John Byrne’s warning to residents who may be worried their homes contain Mr Fluffy asbestos.
The licensed asbestos remover (pictured) said Mr Fluffy, being a loose-fill asbestos, was particularly dangerous as it can release large amounts of fibres into the air if disturbed.
It is not easily identifiable, easily mistaken for the much more common Rockwool sprayed insulation.
“The only way to know is to call an expert,” he said.
“It then has to be sent away to a NATA accredited lab.”
But Mr Byrnes said he had never come across Mr Fluffy in Young.
“Be aware but don’t panic,” he said.
“The possibility of it being in Young is not too high.”
He warned about the possibility of scammers taking advantage of people’s fear.
“If someone calls and offers to check your house, call WorkCover to check their credentials,” he said.
Mr Byrnes said people should also check the operators had public liability insurance and a friable license.