Sunday 27 November 2022 06:14 AM Cherie Barber shares urgent asbestos warning over fears she was exposed to ... trends now
Renovation queen Cherie Barber has issued an urgent warning on the dangers of asbestos, revealing she was exposed to the deadly fibres herself.
Barber was aged in her 20s when she breathed in asbestos while working on an early renovation project in Balmain, in Sydney's inner-west.
'I very distinctly recall sanding this wall in a little character cottage in Balmain. I was completely covered in dust,' she said.
'I later came to discover that the wall was an asbestos wall.
'I was horrified. I often wonder now, am I going to die of asbestos poisoning?'
Experts fear Australia could be hit by a new wave of asbestos diseases as home renovations increase and more unskilled homeowners take on DIY projects without knowing the risks of asbestos exposure.
Renovation queen Cherie Barber has issued an urgent warning on the dangers of asbestos revealing she was exposed to the building material
Ms Barber fears she could develop a disease after the illness with asbestos poisoning killing a person in as quick as 12 months
Ms Barber told the Herald Sun she worried about developing a disease such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, or cancer, which can kill in just a year.
Asbestos poisoning claimed the life of her grandfather George, who worked as a labourer on the wharfs and spent his life carrying sacks filled with the deadly building material.
Barber is the ambassador for Asbestos Awareness and pushed for more education about the harmful substance.
Although the importation of asbestos has been banned for 20 years, foreign asbestos was found in imported building materials, remote control cars, engine gaskets, billiard table irons, and Sydney's new ferries in 2021.
Its fire resistant properties meant it was widely used in Chinese building products.
The actual number of asbestos related deaths each year in Australia is believed to be more than 4,000, including lung cancers and asbestosis caused by the material.
One in three homes built before 1990 are believed to contain the substance with unskilled DIY renovators at increased risk of exposure.
Her warning comes as fears are raised the country could be hit by a new wave of asbestos diseases as home renovations increase and more unskilled homeowners take on DIY projects without knowing the risks of asbestos exposure
Slater and Gordon head of Asbestos and Dust Diseases Joanne Wade said there was an increase in home-taught renovators claiming compensation.
She noted the first
