Television host Cherie Barber has warned homeowners and DIY renovators about the risk of asbestos exposure after revealing that she was once exposed to the potentially deadly fibres early on in her career.
She explained that one of the first renovations she worked on was during her 20s: “I very distinctly recall sanding this wall in a little character cottage in Balmain,” she said.
“I was completely covered in dust. I was wearing safety glasses but wasn’t wearing a respirator.”
“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?”
Cherie also went on to explain that her grandfather died from asbestos poisoning due to suspected workplace exposure while working as a wharfie.
“It’s a terrible disease to pass,” she said of the mesothelioma that took her grandfather.
“Once you are diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos poisoning, your lifespan is normally 12 months, and unfortunately, there’s no cure.”
Cherie’s potential asbestos exposure serves as a warning to home renovators and reflects the significant changes to the demographic of people affected by asbestos exposure. While previously, it was those working in trades like shipbuilding, insulation and factories, it is now rising in prevalence amongst home renovators.
Slater and Gordon’s head of Asbestos and Dust Diseases, Joanne Wade, explained that within their company, they had seen an increase in compensation for exposure to asbestos occurring inside the home.
“A lot of the early clients suffering from asbestos diseases were the workers from the mines, factory workers and tradespeople. Then in the early to mid 2000s, we started to see a lot more home renovators come through.”