Asbestos cement, genericized as fibro, fibrolite (short for "fibrous (or fibre)

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

sheet", but different from the natural mineral fibrolite), or AC sheet, is a composite

building material Building material is material used for construction. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, rocks, sand, wood, and even twigs and leaves, have been used to construct buildings and other structures, like bridges. Apart from natur ...

consisting of cement and

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

fibres pressed into thin rigid sheets and other shapes. Invented at the end of the 19th century, the material was adopted extensively during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to make easily-built, sturdy and inexpensive structures for military purposes. It continued to be used widely following the war as an affordable external cladding for buildings. Advertised as a fireproof alternative to other roofing materials such as

asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...

, asbestos-cement roofs were popular, not only for safety but also for affordability. Due to asbestos cement's imitation of more expensive materials such as wood siding and shingles,

brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

, and

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

, the product was marketed as an affordable renovation material. Asbestos cement competed with

aluminum alloy An aluminium alloy ( UK/IUPAC) or aluminum alloy ( NA; see spelling differences) is an alloy in which aluminium (Al) is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin, nickel and zinc. There ...

, available in large quantities after WWII, and the reemergence of wood clapboard and vinyl siding in the mid to late 20th century. Asbestos cement is usually formed into flat or corrugated sheets or into pipes, but can be molded into any shape that can be formed using wet cement. In Europe, cement sheets came in a wide variety of shapes, while there was less variation in the US, due to labor and production costs. Although fibro was used in a number of countries, in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

its use was most widespread. Predominantly manufactured and sold by

James Hardie James Hardie Industries plc is an American-Irish global building materials company and the largest global manufacturer of fibre cement products. Headquartered in Ireland, it is cross-listed on the Australian and New York Stock Exchanges. Its ...

until the mid-1980s, fibro in all its forms was a popular building material, largely due to its durability. The reinforcing fibres used in the product were almost always asbestos. The use of fibro that contains asbestos has been banned in several countries, including Australia, but the material was discovered in new components sold for construction projects.

Health effects

When exposed to weathering and erosion, particularly when used on roofs, the surface deterioration of asbestos cement can release toxic airborne fibres. Exposure to asbestos causes or increases the risk of several life-threatening diseases, including

asbestosis Asbestosis is long-term inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis, scarring of the human lung, lungs due to asbestos fibers. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest pain, chest tightness. Complications may include lung canc ...

, pleural

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lini ...

(lung), and

peritoneal mesothelioma Peritoneal mesothelioma is the name given to the cancer that attacks the lining of the abdomen. This type of cancer affects the lining that protects the contents of the abdomen and provides a lubricating fluid to enable the organs to move and work ...

(abdomen). Safer asbestos-free

fibre cement Fibre cement is a composite building and construction material, used mainly in roofing material, roofing and facade products because of its strength of materials, strength and durability. One common use is in fiber cement siding on buildings. Mat ...

sheet is still readily available, but the reinforcing fibres are cellulose. The name "fibro" is still traditionally applied to fibre cement.

Products used in the building industry

* Roofs - most usually on industrial or farmyard buildings and domestic garages. * Flat sheets for house walls and ceilings were usually thick, wide, and from long. * Battens wide × thick, used to cover the joints in fibro sheets. * "Super Six" corrugated roof sheeting and fencing. * Internal wet area sheeting, "Tilux". * Pipes of various sizes for water reticulation and drainage. Drainage pipes tend to be made of pitch fibre, with asbestos cement added to strengthen. * Moulded products ranging from plant pots to outdoor telephone cabinet roofs and cable pits.

Cleaning of asbestos cement

Some Australian states, such as

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, prohibit the cleaning of fibro with

pressure washer Pressure washing or power washing is the use of high-pressure water spray to remove loose paint, mold, grime, dust, mud, and dirt from surfaces and objects such as buildings, vehicles and concrete surfaces. The volume of a mechanical pressure w ...

s, because it can spread the embedded asbestos fibres over a wide area. Safer cleaning methods involve using a

fungicide Fungicides are pesticides used to kill parasitic fungi or their spores. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in losses of yield and quality. Fungicides are used both in agriculture and to fight fungal infections in animals, ...

and a sealant.

In popular culture

The 1973 song, " Way Out West", by The Dingoes, later covered by James Blundell &

James Reyne James Michael Nugent Reyne Order of Australia, OAM (born 19 May 1957) is an Australian musician. He achieved fame as the lead singer of Australian Crawl, and subsequently went on to a successful solo career. Biography Early years Reyne was born ...

, mentions living in a "house made of fibro cement". Fibro is also referred to several times on the Australian TV show ''

Housos ''Housos'' (titled ''Housos of the Housing Commission'' from seasons 1 to 2, ''Housos vs Virus: The Lockdown'' from season 3, and ''Housos: The Thong Warrior'' from season 4) is an Australian comedy television series created by Paul Fenech for ...

''.

References

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External links