The Australian National University (ANU) has launched the third stage of its ACT Asbestos Health Study to examine health concerns of people who have lived in a house with loose-fill asbestos insulation.

Chief Investigator Associate Professor Martyn Kirk said a confidential survey would be sent to people registered as living in a Mr Fluffy house when the ACT Government announced its buy-back program on 28 October 2014. Invitations to owners and tenants would be sent out over the next week.

The invitation also asks people to refer the survey to others in their household aged over 18 years so a complete picture can be created.
Previous residents who have registered with the ACT Asbestos Response Taskforce will also be invited to take part and will be sent a separate invitation in coming weeks.

The survey aims to give a clear picture of self-reported health impacts of living in a house which contained loose fill asbestos. It will examine the physical health effects as well as the psychological issues associated with living in a Mr Fluffy house.

“We hope to provide a clearer understanding of the health risks, both physical and psychological, associated with living in a Mr Fluffy house,” Professor Kirk said.

“The survey will be strictly confidential and represents an opportunity for owners, tenants and their families to have input and provide information on how loose-fill asbestos has impacted on the health of people living in a Mr Fluffy house.”

He said the findings of the survey would be provided to ACT Health and would continue to inform the response to this important community issue.
The ACT Government in 2015 commissioned the ANU National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health to undertake a two-year study to improve understanding of the health risks of Mr Fluffy loose fill asbestos insulation.

Loose fill insulation was installed in more than 1,000 Canberra homes between 1968 and 1979.

The ANU ACT Asbestos Health Study handed its first report to the ACT government in September 2015, which described the trends and risks of mesothelioma in the ACT from 1982 to 2014.

It found mesothelioma was a relatively rare cancer, with 140 cases registered in the ACT between 1982 and 2014, predominantly from occupational exposure. Inhalation of asbestos fibres is the predominant cause of mesothelioma and an important contributor to risk of lung cancer in exposed people.

For interview

Associate Professor Martyn Kirk
Chief Investigator, ACT Asbestos Health Study
National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU
T: 6125 5609
E: Martyn.Kirk@anu.edu.au

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