A prohibition notice has been issued to a building site in Sydney, following the discovery of asbestos in fibrous building panels imported to construct a residential building. The panels were imported from China and were thought to be asbestos-free, but subsequent testing by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) has shown they contain chrysotile asbestos.
While asbestos has been a prohibited product in Australia since December 2003, in many countries it is still used in manufactured products. Certification provided to importers from overseas manufacturers that goods are asbestos-free have sometimes found to be wrong for the purposes of our regulations.

Local standards in some supplier countries may classify goods ‘asbestos free’ where they meet a certain low level of asbestos content. In Australia, a product found with any level of asbestos is prohibited for import or use.

Importers should be aware of the varying definitions and standards applied in the country of origin and/or supply. Australian regulations apply at the border. The importer must ensure they do not import asbestos into Australia. Importers should:

• Request certification from the manufacturer that the goods are asbestos-free
• Obtain evidence from the overseas supplier, eg product testing results that the product/material does not contain asbestos
• Arrange a competent person to sample the goods/materials for testing by a laboratory prior to shipping (It is recommended that a NATA accredited laboratory, accredited for the relevant test method (AS 4964 Method for the qualitative identification of asbestos in bulk samples), or internationally equivalent laboratories be used)