Hazards in our Community

The EIC team are passionate about improving asbestos awareness by providing tradespeople and DIY enthusiasts engaged in construction or renovation projects with the knowledge to ensure safety. The focus has been on delivering asbestos awareness talks and workshops, starting with future tradespeople, who are diagnosed with 80 percent of asbestos-related diseases.

With DIY being ingrained in Kiwi culture, there's a need to address the lack of common knowledge about asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in many New Zealand buildings. This is particularly relevant in New Zealand where significant renovation and remedial work is underway due to Healthy Homes requirements. The prevailing 'she'll be right' attitude among tradespeople and DIYers, exacerbated by DIY shows on TV, further underscores the importance of asbestos awareness.

Image: Rock containing chrysotile asbestos from Asbestos Mine, Tanaka River, provide by research partner, Professor Peter de Lange

EIC Director, Terri-Ann became aware of this issue in 2014 in the Cook Islands, leading to subsequent research efforts, collaborations with the FAMANZ and the New Zealand Demolition and Asbestos Association, and recognition of the need for improved asbestos awareness in the community. Terri-Ann is current Chair and co-founder of the Mesothelioma Support and Asbestos Awareness Trust (www.msaa.org.nz)