In short: Asbestos fibres breathed in as dust can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and other diseases, often decades later. There is no safe level of exposure, but the risk rises with the amount of exposure. Asbestos is still present in about one in three Australian homes.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was once commonly mined in Australia, although large amounts were also imported. Australia was one of the highest users of asbestos per person in the world.
Until the mid-1980s, asbestos had a very wide variety of uses in Australia. It was widely used in industry, mainly in insulation and as a fire retardant. It was also used extensively in building materials, in both homes and factories, and in brake linings and other friction parts such as gaskets.
There are two kinds of asbestos products: friable and non-friable. Friable products contain loose asbestos fibres and usually give off dust when touched. Non-friable products contain asbestos bonded with other materials, like cement. They only give off asbestos dust when they are cut, drilled, weathered or otherwise disturbed.
This dust is dangerous because it contains microscopic asbestos fibres that are easily inhaled. While the body naturally removes most of these fibres, some may become trapped deep in the lungs and can lead to an asbestos-related disease decades later. Mesothelioma usually appears decades after exposure. For Australians diagnosed between 2010 and 2020, the median time from first exposure to diagnosis was about 50 years.
Why is asbestos dust dangerous?
Breathing in asbestos dust is extremely dangerous and poses a serious risk to health. In recent decades, thousands of people in Australia have been diagnosed with one or more serious diseases related to asbestos exposure.
Asbestos can cause both cancers and non-malignant diseases. The most common non-malignant diseases are asbestosis and asbestos-related pleural disease.
How much asbestos exposure is harmful?
There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. However, not everyone who is exposed to asbestos fibres will develop an asbestos-related disease. Even short-term exposure can lead to illness. Heavy or prolonged exposure greatly increases the risk of developing one or more asbestos-related diseases.
Which diseases does asbestos cause?
Exposure to asbestos can lead to a range of illnesses. There is no such thing as “asbestos cancer”, although asbestos exposure is linked to certain types of cancer. The most common illnesses related to asbestos exposure are set out below.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the tissue that lines the internal organs, usually the lungs. When asbestos fibres are inhaled, they can become lodged in the lining of the lungs. Over many years, fibres lodged in the lining can cause changes that lead to cancer. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos.
Any exposure to asbestos dust creates a risk of developing mesothelioma. The risk increases as the amount of exposure increases. For people with small exposures, the risk is small.
Lung cancer
Prolonged or significant asbestos exposure can cause lung cancer.
The risk of developing asbestos-related lung cancer is greater for people who have also smoked. Asbestos exposure and smoking multiply each other’s risk, making lung cancer substantially more likely than for a person who only smoked or was only exposed to asbestos. Like other asbestos-related diseases, it can appear decades after exposure.
Unlike mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer requires a substantial period of exposure to asbestos.
Other cancers
International research, including reports of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has confirmed that asbestos causes cancer of the larynx and ovary, and that it is potentially also a cause of cancers of the pharynx, stomach and bowel. See National Toxicology Program, Report on Carcinogens, Fifteenth Edition: Asbestos (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, 2021), available online.
Can asbestos diseases be treated?
There is no cure for asbestos exposure itself. Treatment depends on the disease that develops. There is currently no cure for mesothelioma. Asbestosis ranges from mild to severe and can get worse over time.
If you are worried about past exposure, tell your GP, who can decide whether any tests are needed. If you were exposed at work in NSW, icare offers lung health checks to some workers exposed to hazardous dust.
Is there an asbestos risk today?
Yes. Asbestos products, especially bonded asbestos cement or fibro, were widely used in building and construction. About one in three Australian homes contains asbestos. If your home was built before 1983, it is likely to contain some asbestos materials. Many of these buildings are still standing. Bonded asbestos products, like fibro, are not a risk while they remain intact. However, when they are cut, drilled, weathered or otherwise disturbed, they release dust containing asbestos fibres.
There are now strict rules for removing asbestos found in buildings. The risk today mostly arises when people disturb asbestos by accident, for example when renovating, or do not take proper precautions when removing it.
Can I claim compensation?
The effects of asbestos were well known to manufacturers such as James Hardie, Wunderlich, Bells Asbestos and others for many years before they stopped making and selling asbestos products.
If you develop an asbestos-related disease, you may have a right to claim compensation at common law. Depending on how you were exposed, the claim may be against your former employer (or its workers compensation insurer if the company no longer exists) or against the manufacturer of the asbestos product. People with pleural plaques alone will not have a claim unless they can show the plaques are causing pain, a physical disability or a recognised psychological injury.
If you were exposed to asbestos at work, you may also be entitled to workers compensation benefits under the scheme in the state where you worked. In NSW, the scheme is icare Dust Diseases Care, which can include ongoing payments and cover for medical expenses.
The rules for asbestos claims differ between states and territories, including which court hears the claim, how quickly it can be heard, and what happens if the person dies before the claim is finished. We have acted for people in every Australian state, and we can tell you how the rules apply to you.
If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos disease, call us on 1800 430 855 for a free, confidential conversation about your options.
Read more: What if I cannot recall where I was exposed to asbestos? and Common questions about mesothelioma and asbestos
Reviewed by David Taylor, Segelov Taylor Lawyers, September 2026.