SEVERAL houses in the Eurobodalla could unknowingly be contaminated with the dangerous asbestos material, Mr Fluffy, which was installed in homes 30 years ago.
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The material was supplied by a now non-operational Canberra business in the 1960s and 1970s in the form of a loose-fill asbestos insulation blown into roof spaces.
More than 1000 Canberra homes are thought to contain remnant amosite asbestos as a result of having Mr Fluffy pumped into their roof cavities as cheap insulation.
It is regarded as the most dangerous form of asbestos insulation as it is not bound with any other material.
In 2005 it was revealed that a former Batehaven resident put the asbestos in his ceiling by hand, after it was delivered from Canberra to Batemans Bay in bags.
Once it was known the product was used in the Eurobodalla, council raised the issue with the NSW Government.
Councillor Fergus Thomson, who was then mayor, said until the issue hit the news in 2005, council had been unaware of the problem.
“It was an issue that was way beyond us as a council to remedy and therefore we believed it should have fallen into the state government’s area of responsibility,” he said.
Cr Thomson said he understood quite a number of houses would have had the loose fill asbestos put in, but he believes many would have been demolished during the extensive development of the Eurobodalla coast in the past 25 years.
“The style of the dwellings around were fishing village fibre cottages,” he said.
“Most of them were in Hanging Rock and have since been pulled down.”
Paul Baker from South Coast Asbestos Consulting, which covers from Nowra to the Victorian border, said throughout his four years in business, he had not come across Mr Fluffy.
“We are aware of it and do look out for it but have not seen it yet,” Mr Baker said.
“In the past few days we have had several enquiries about it from people who have heard about it (Mr Fluffy) through the news.
“Particularly Canberra people who have holiday houses on the coast are concerned.”
The ACT and federal governments are working out whether homes containing Mr Fluffy can be fixed or if they must be demolished.
ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has asked for a decision by next month to resolve the issues for Canberra families, a number of whom have been told to leave their homes after asbestos was found in living areas.
A Eurobodalla Shire Council spokeswoman said WorkCover recently advised the council that previous testing of homes with loose-fill asbestos fibre ceiling insulation had indicated that exposure was likely to be “very low”, provided that the asbestos was undisturbed and remained sealed off from the liveable areas.
“Council does not have a register of homes that may contain asbestos,” the spokeswoman said.
“We advise residents who suspect they may have loose-fill asbestos insulation in their roof to engage a qualified friable asbestos consultant to inspect and determine if it requires further action such as removal and disposal.
“If residents have health concerns about asbestos they should seek medical advice from their local GP.”
The spokeswoman said WorkCover provided advice on the potential exposure to asbestos for home owners, tradespeople or any other people who may need to access the ceiling, wall or sub-floor areas of a property.
