Four years ago, 67-year-old Simon Christley started noticing what he described as strange symptoms.
The Wollongong man said he couldn’t lay on one side of the bed without losing his breath, and while on the bike at the gym, he noticed his heart rate spiking to 220 bpm.
“At first, I thought there was something wrong with the bike,” he said
But after enduring a battery of tests from doctors, Christley was sadly diagnosed with mesothelioma – a respiratory disease caused by asbestos exposure – in February 2021, despite never having worked in the construction or manufacturing industry.
Now battling the incurable cancer, he wants to give a timely warning this Asbestos Awareness Month that exposure to the deadly fibre is not a thing of the past for any Australian.
“I was shocked. When you get told that you’re confronted with your mortality. I knew about asbestos of course, but I hadn’t worked in an industrial setting. I asked how it could happen to me,” Mr Christley said.
“Then I remembered when I was about 11 or 12, we lived in a house with an asbestos fibro roof, and we did an extension. Like many kids in my generation, we played with broken bits of fibro.
“Even looking out the window now I can see a house with an old asbestos roof, it is not a thing of the past.”
This year’s Asbestos Awareness Month theme is ‘Think Twice About Asbestos’, warning those who are renovating that the deadly fibre is still something to be on the lookout for.
According to the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency, a staggering 1 in 3 homes in Australia built before 1990 contain the deadly asbestos fibre.
Loose fibres that are invisible to the naked eye can contaminate your hair, clothing and even surrounding surfaces and furniture. When products containing asbestos are disturbed (for example, cut, broken or drilled into), tiny fibres are released into the air.
When these fibres are breathed in, they can become trapped in the lungs and may cause a number of very serious diseases, with even low levels of exposure to asbestos causing mesothelioma.
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Despite the confronting diagnoses, Mr Christley said he feels lucky.
“I have an incredible support system around me; I try my best to do what I can and look ahead,” he said.
“I want others to know to not dismiss any symptoms. If you think you have any symptoms you feel are strange, see a doctor straight away.”
Slater and Gordon Senior Legal Counsel in Dust Diseases, Raelene Lingam, said that regardless of your age or occupation, exposure can occur in many different situations and may have a major impact on your health.
“It’s unfortunately very common to see stories like Mr Christley’s. Sadly, those that made and distributed asbestos had knowledge at the time when Mr Christley’s family did not.
“In Australia, a home that was built before 1990 almost certainly has asbestos in it. There are many different areas that asbestos can be found inside and outside your home, including in roofing, flooring, fencing, putty/glues, plumbing, cement building materials, carpet underlay and insulation.”
