The Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency has released a new report examining the pros and cons of current ways of containing and stabilising asbestos, particularly in roofing.

In bonded form, building materials that contain asbestos are relatively stable, but they pose a risk to human health and the environment as they age.

“As Australia grapples with the legacy of in-situ asbestos in our built environment, we need many solutions,” ASEA chief executive officer Peter Tighe said.

“A lot of asbestos has been removed from Australian buildings, but there’s a long way to go.

“In an ideal world, we would have all the resources we need to remove asbestos completely from all buildings. But in the short term, methods like encapsulation are vastly preferable to doing nothing.”

ASEA considers asbestos roofing a particular problem, both in commercial and residential buildings.

Asbestos roofing is prevalent in Australia, and its exposure to the elements means it is more likely to deteriorate over time than other uses of asbestos.

ASEA says encapsulation of asbestos on roofing is essential and a cost-effective way to make deteriorating asbestos safer whilst waiting for removal as the only permanent solution.

The full report is available here