Why asbestos exposure isn't just a construction industry risk

When people think about asbestos exposure, they tend to imagine workers on construction sites, in power stations, or carrying out demolition work. The reality is that asbestos has harmed people in a far wider range of occupations. If you’ve worked in an office, studio, hospital, school, or government building built before the mid-1980s, the risk may also apply to you.

Many people don't realise they may have been exposed until decades later. Knowing the risks can help you make informed decisions about your health and future.

Asbestos exposure in unexpected workplaces

In early 2025, it was revealed that at least four former ABC employees had died from asbestos-related diseases linked to work at the broadcaster's Melbourne studios. The affected sites included the former television studios in Elsternwick and Broadcast House in Melbourne's CBD.

Further reporting in March 2025 alleged that the ABC had identified more than 550 current and former employees who may have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibres at these workplaces between the 1950s and 2010s.

Asbestos was found in ceiling spaces, wall cavities, vinyl floor tiles, and around studio lights, where it had been used as fire-resistant insulation. Lab testing also confirmed the presence of blue asbestos, one of the most hazardous forms of asbestos, in floor spaces beneath studios where staff routinely worked.

The people affected were not workers who typically considered themselves at risk of asbestos exposure. They included broadcast engineers, producers, administrators, and radio presenters, people who spent their working lives in offices and studios rather than on construction sites.

One former Broadcast House employee's experience highlights how easily exposure can go unnoticed. She worked at the Melbourne CBD site for just three years in the mid-1960s and had no idea she had been exposed to asbestos. Decades later, doctors discovered asbestos-related changes in her lungs.

Cases like these are a reminder that asbestos exposure can happen in places many people would never suspect. If you worked in an older office, school, hospital, studio, or government building, it's worth considering whether asbestos may have been present in your workplace too.

Why office workers can be at risk of asbestos exposure

Anyone who worked in an Australian building constructed or fitted out before the mid-1980s may have been at risk of asbestos exposure.

Australia was among the highest per-capita users of asbestos in the world. Although asbestos was banned in 2003, it can still be found in many older schools, offices, commercial buildings, and industrial sites.

The risk isn't limited to people who physically handled asbestos. Exposure can occur when asbestos-containing materials age, deteriorate, or are disturbed during renovations, maintenance, or demolition. That means office workers, bank staff, administrators, teachers, nurses, public servants, and media professionals who worked in these buildings for extended periods may have inhaled fibres without ever knowing it.

Melbourne's CBD is full of commercial towers built during the 1960s and 1970s, the decades when asbestos use in Australia was at its peak. Asbestos remains confirmed in government-owned offices, libraries, hospitals, train stations, galleries, aged-care facilities, and community centres across Victoria.

A statewide audit of 1,712 Victorian government schools found that 497 contained high-risk asbestos. Teachers, librarians, and admin staff in those schools had been breathing it in for decades before anyone tested for it.

For many people, the possibility of exposure only becomes clear decades later. That's why it's important not to dismiss the risk simply because your job didn't involve construction, maintenance, or trades work.

Why "that was decades ago" isn't reassurance

One of the most challenging aspects of asbestos-related disease is that symptoms often don't appear for decades. Many people feel completely healthy for 20, 30, or even 40 years before being diagnosed with a condition linked to workplace exposure they may not even remember.

The most common asbestos-related diseases are:

• Mesothelioma 
• Asbestosis
• Lung cancer

There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure. Exposure does not have to be frequent, prolonged, or connected to a high-risk occupation to have serious consequences decades later.

What to do if you were exposed

If you worked in an older building, it's important to mention this to your GP. Many people don't realise that past workplace exposure may be relevant to their health, particularly if it happened decades ago. Sharing your work history can help your doctor assess your risk and determine whether any monitoring or screening is appropriate.

Early detection can make a meaningful difference, potentially providing access to treatment options that may not be available once a disease has progressed.

Register your exposure

Even if you haven't been diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition, it may be worth registering your exposure if you know or suspect you came into contact with asbestos at work.

Keeping a record of where and when you may have been exposed can help preserve important information for the future. If you are diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease later, those records may help support a compensation claim.

Understand your legal rights after diagnosis

If you've been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to compensation under Australian law even if your exposure happened decades ago.

In most states and territories, time limits for making a claim start from the date of diagnosis, not the date of exposure. However, you may need to take important steps early to protect your rights, so seeking legal advice as soon as possible is important.

Depending on your circumstances, compensation may be available through a range of pathways, including common law claims, workers' compensation, and Comcare claims. The most appropriate option will depend on factors such as your diagnosis, work history, and where the exposure occurred.

You don't need to have all the answers. Our specialist asbestos lawyers investigate your work history, identify where and when exposure may have occurred, and advise you on what options may be available.

You don't have to figure this out alone

Receiving an asbestos-related diagnosis or even wondering whether a past workplace may have exposed you to asbestos can be confronting. It can be difficult to make sense of, especially when the exposure may have happened decades ago.

We offer confidential, no-obligation advice and can help you understand your situation, answer any questions you may have, and explain your options.

If you'd like to talk things through, you can call our asbestos and dust disease team on 1800 111 222 or request a callback at a time that suits you.

We're here to listen, provide guidance and support you every step of the way.