“You Can Tell Just by Looking at It”: Asbestos Myths We Hear All the Time
As an asbestos consultant, I regularly hear people confidently rule out asbestos before a material has been tested.
Usually, they are not trying to be reckless. They are repeating something they have heard from a builder, a friend, a previous homeowner or somebody who worked with the material years ago.
The problem is that confidence is not evidence. Here are some of the most common asbestos myths I hear—and why relying on them can create an unnecessary risk.
“There Won’t Be Asbestos Here. It Was Banned in 1986.”
The year changes depending on who is telling the story, but the claim is usually the same: asbestos was banned in a particular year, so anything installed after that date must be safe.
New Zealand did not have one simple cutoff date when every asbestos-containing product instantly disappeared. Restrictions were introduced progressively, older stock remained in circulation, and buildings were altered using materials from different periods. The broad ban on importing asbestos-containing products did not take effect until 1 October 2016.
For practical purposes, WorkSafe New Zealand advises that any building built or renovated before 1 January 2000 could contain asbestos. In buildings constructed after that date, asbestos is less likely—but “less likely” is not the same as impossible.
A date can help assess the likelihood of asbestos. It cannot confirm what a particular material contains.
“It’s Only Fibre Cement.”
Fibre cement is a type of building material, not an asbestos test result.
Modern fibre-cement products generally use non-asbestos reinforcing fibres. However, many older fibre-cement sheets, soffits, gable linings, cladding products, roofing materials and pipes were manufactured using asbestos.
Both types can look remarkably similar, particularly after decades of painting, weathering and repair. Calling something “fibre cement” does not establish which fibres were used to manufacture it.
“It’s James Hardie, so It Doesn’t Contain Asbestos.”
A manufacturer’s name—or a name commonly used for a type of sheet—is not an asbestos-free guarantee.
James Hardie historically manufactured asbestos-cement products, followed by very similar-looking cellulose-fibre products. Names such as “Hardie board”, “Hardie plank” and even “Fibrolite” are also commonly used in conversation as generic descriptions, whether or not anyone has established the actual manufacturer or product.
Unless reliable product identification and installation information are available, the name somebody gives a sheet does not prove what it contains.
“You Can Tell by Looking at It.”
An experienced asbestos surveyor can identify materials that are consistent with known asbestos-containing products. The building’s age, the material’s location, its fixing pattern, surface finish and construction can all help determine whether it should be treated as suspicious.
But that is not the same as visually confirming that asbestos is present or absent.
Asbestos fibres are microscopic. Similar-looking products may have completely different compositions, and paint or other finishes can obscure useful identifying features. Where certainty is required, representative sampling and laboratory analysis are needed.
Breaking off a corner to “look for fibres” does not provide an answer. It may simply disturb the material unnecessarily.
“My Mate Was a Builder. He Cut It for Years and Never Died.”
One person’s experience cannot establish that asbestos exposure was safe.
Asbestos-related diseases can take decades to develop. Not everybody who is exposed will develop a disease, and the absence of a diagnosis does not tell us what fibres somebody inhaled throughout their working life.
The risk increases with the number of fibres inhaled and with repeated or prolonged exposure. Past practices are not evidence that the same practices should continue.
“I’ve Done Asbestos-Awareness Training.”
Asbestos-awareness training is valuable. It should help people understand the hazard, recognise common suspect materials, avoid disturbing them and know when specialist advice is needed.
It does not qualify someone to declare an entire property asbestos-free.
I once inspected a home where the owner was adamant there was no asbestos anywhere in the building. When I explained that the fibre-cement soffits and gable linings should be treated as potentially asbestos-containing, he replied:
“Well, that means every house in New Zealand has asbestos.”
No, it does not. Not every house contains asbestos and not every fibre-cement product contains it. However, materials in buildings constructed or renovated before 2000 must be assessed on the evidence—not dismissed because similar non-asbestos products also exist.
During that same inspection, I found deteriorated vinyl flooring concealed beneath carpet. The vinyl had a paper-like backing and was in very poor condition. The carpet was not properly secured, meaning the underlying material could become exposed and disturbed.
The material that required attention was not necessarily the one the homeowner had been arguing about. It was a less obvious material hidden beneath the flooring.
That is precisely why inspections need to consider the whole building and the proposed work rather than focusing only on the products most people associate with asbestos.
Awareness training should teach you when to stop and ask. It should not convince you that you already know the answer.
“It Has Been There for Years and Nobody Has Had a Problem.”
Some asbestos-containing materials can remain in place when they are in good condition, unlikely to be disturbed and managed appropriately.
That does not mean the material is asbestos-free, and it does not mean it can be drilled, cut, sanded, scraped or removed without suitable controls.
The risk changes when the condition or use of the material changes. A renovation, maintenance job, leak, impact or deterioration can turn a previously undisturbed material into a potential exposure risk.
Replace Assumptions with Evidence
Most asbestos myths contain just enough truth to sound convincing. Modern fibre cement is commonly asbestos-free. Buildings constructed after 2000 are less likely to contain asbestos. Undamaged asbestos-containing material may sometimes be safely managed in place.
None of those facts allows somebody to identify an untested material simply by looking at it.
If a suspect material could be disturbed during renovation, maintenance or demolition, identify it before work begins. A suitable asbestos survey or properly collected sample followed by laboratory analysis can replace an argument with an answer.
Asbestos Safe Consultancy provides independent asbestos inspections, surveys and testing across Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, Taupō and Manawatū. If you are unsure about a material or are planning work on an older building, contact us before it is disturbed.
Phone: 022 460 7184