Personal Narrative

When I was young my parents often moved house.  As children we loved the experience of walking in to someone’s house and seeing how they lived.  At one stage my parents decided they would investigate the possibility of moving an existing house to a vacant block of land.

I distinctly remember one particular home. The owner of the house was busy but we were able to obtain a key from him and let ourselves in. It was beautiful. There were heavy cedar doors with bevelled glass inserts and chandeliers that hung from the lounge room ceiling. The bathroom walls were covered in miniature tiles and ceramic lion’s heads protruded from the tiles, with spouts emerging from their mouths. As Mum and Dad discussed the logistics of moving such a large house without damaging its unique qualities, my brother, sister and I explored.

I remember finding a stair case leading down to what looked like more rooms, so I called everyone over.  As I started to descend the narrow staircase, I noticed how dark and cold it was; not at all like upstairs. The walls were cracked and some of the pieces had fallen down, littering the hallway.  I heard Dad say to Mum, "It's asbestos, we had better go". As fast as they could Mum and Dad hurried us children up the stairs and back into the opulence of the upstairs area. I was confused and scared. I could not understand the urgency with which we had to evacuate the downstairs area. Then Dad explained, the cracked walls were made of asbestos and as a result, the air downstairs may not be safe to breath.

This was the first time I had ever heard of asbestos. Since then I have had several incidents where I have had concerns over the handling of asbestos. From the instillation of air-conditioning at our local school, where holes needed to be cut into the asbestos ceiling, to the insulation that existed around the hot water pipes in my parent's home, asbestos continues to be a concern of mine.

Asbestos is one product within many homes that could pose a risk to human health, however it is not alone. This blog will examine a variety of products which exist within many of our homes, in an attempt to inform people about the possible risks associated with the use of these products.