Mr Fluffy (Loose Fill Asbestos Insulation)
'Mr Fluffy' is the commonly used name for the loose fill asbestos insulation installed by D. Jansen & Co. Pty Ltd and its successor firms between 1968 and 1978-79 in Canberra and, it is believed, the surrounding region. Contemporary advertisements promised 'sure comfort and fuel savings' to homeowners who paid less than $100 to insulate an average 11 square house with what was claimed to be 'CSIRO Tested and Approved' as 'the perfect thermal insulating material'.
That material comprised raw asbestos, crushed and blown into roof spaces and allowed to settle across the battens and ceilings, and behind the cornices, of more than 1000 Canberra homes.
The ACT Government Loose Fill Asbestos Coordination team found that the asbestos fibres remained in the roof spaces, wall cavities and subfloors of affected homes, and were sometimes present in visible quantities in cupboards, heating and cooling ducts and vents, living rooms and bedrooms.
Under the ACT Government’s Loose Fill Asbestos Insulation Eradication Scheme, affected homes are subject to a voluntary Buyback Program, where the insulation is safely removed and the property demolished.
Homes affected by loose fill asbestos insulation are required by law to have a safety tag displayed at the electricity meter box and switch board.
Under the Dangerous Substances (General) Regulation 2004 homeowners that choose to remain in an affected property (including those who have taken up the extended settlement option in the ACT Government’s Buyback Program) or allow others to reside in the property, are required to have an Asbestos Contamination Report (ACR) prepared and lodged with WorkSafe ACT.
Related resources
On this page