THE council will spend almost $2.5 million and 10 years unearthing and destroying potentially fatal asbestos housed in its buildings.
The council has budgeted $200,000 a year from late 2013 until 2021 to dismantling the dangerous material.
A further $100,000 a year starting this financial year until 2021 will rid the toxic threat from its corporate buildings.
A council spokeswoman declined to comment on how many of its buildings contained asbestos.
The chemical was used extensively in insulation and types of cement before 1990.
When exposed, the fine asbestos dust can become airborne and if inhaled can lead to several types of cancer and lung scarring that hinders breathing.
Although the capital works program spans a decade, an expert on asbestos-related disease said the council was doing everything right.
Queensland Asbestos Related Disease Support Society secretary Ray Colbert described the council’s plan as “terrific”.
“It’s a very precise process to remove asbestos,” Mr Colbert said.
“It must be wet, double-bagged, disposed of in specific bins.
“It is best to take care of small areas competently with proper labour and have it disposed of correctly.”
Mr Colbert said as long as asbestos remained undisturbed it presented almost no threat.
A council spokeswoman said the goal was to make sure no asbestos material was damaged or deteriorated to a point where people could be at risk.
“Priority must be given to removing all high-risk asbestos items, where removal has been deemed as the best course of action,” she said.
“It is also the policy of Sunshine Coast Council to manage any asbestos-related issues as part of its building works contracts to ensure that any asbestos on, or in, Sunshine Coast property is dealt with appropriately.”
She said the council program was not a “one size fits all” approach.
“For example, some high risk sites have already had known asbestos-containing material removed, while options for other sites may include the encapsulation (sealing) of the material to ensure the material’s safety.”
ALL ABOUT ASBESTOS
Asbestos fibres are 50 to 200 times thinner than a human hair, invisible, airborne and can be inhaled.
Used in Australian buildings between 1940 and 1990. Banned in 2003.
Inhalation can cause:
Lung cancer
Mesothelioma – cancer of the lining of either the lung or abdominal cavity
Asbestosis – scarring or a fibrosis of the lungs that makes breathing difficult.