Mr Fluffy refers to a widespread asbestos contamination incident that occurred in the suburbs of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Two companies, referred to collectively as Mr Fluffy (a nickname coined in the 1990s for Asbestosfluf Insulations, and its successor J&H Insulation, the former run by Canberra businessman Dirk Jansen, the latter owned by a relative of his), imported and installed fibrous, loose-fill amphibole asbestos (in most cases brown amosite, though instances of blue crocidolite have been recorded) as an insulation by blowing the product into roof spaces of homes during the 1960s and 1970s. Additionally, the companies are believed to have sold sacks of asbestos fibre direct to homeowners to insulate their own homes, and other operators may have also used the hazardous material trying to copy Jansen's business model.
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Medical dangers
At the time, there was little knowledge by the public about the dangers of exposure to asbestos. Subsequently, cases of mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases have become well publicised. Testing in these homes has revealed the ongoing possibility of exposure to the loose asbestos fibres, with the loose-fill amosite asbestos used by Mr Fluffy especially hazardous due to its lack of a bonding agent causing it to easily migrate to hidden corners and cracks inside a residence.
Affected areas
In 2015 the Government of the Australian Capital Territory released a list of areas affected by Mr Fluffy insulation contamination totaling 1,022 properties. It is believed that up to 30,000 people may have been affected over the years.
A significant number of the houses were developed in the Radburn scheme suburbs, Charnwood, Curtin and Garran, and a small part of Hughes. In 2014, with plans for demolition of houses under the Mr Fluffy asbestos home demolition scheme being developed, it was realised that a significant number of the houses treated with loose asbestos, and thus affected, were in the Radburn areas. This was recognised as having the potential to degrade the remaining legacy of the Radburn scheme.
Loose Fill Asbestos has also been found in locations far removed from Canberra, such as three confirmed locations in Lithgow, which is approximately 200 kilometers away from Canberra. The New South Wales Government has announced a buyback scheme for affected properties.
Jansen, who ran Mr Fluffy from his family home, himself stored bags of asbestos fluff under his house.
Investigation and cleanup
Jansen started using asbestos as an insulation as early as 1967, and began using it in loose form in 1968, prompting a Commonwealth Government investigation within months. However, despite a subsequent report that indicated community exposure to asbestos was potentially "undesirable", he kept working until 1978. Jansen died in 2001.
Prompted by growing public concern about the hazards of asbestos in general and Mr Fluffy's product, a Commonwealth audit in 1988 identified most of the homes in the ACT containing the insulation. A clean-up program was conducted by the new ACT Government between 1989 and 1993 and was thought to have fixed the problem in those homes identified in the audit, but residual asbestos has since been found in some houses. This led to the creation of a community action group by affected homeowners that campaigned for a shift in policy concerning the future of their residences.
In response a home demolition scheme was negotiated between the Government of the Australian Capital Territory and the Government of Australia in 2014. It involves a loan of about A$1 billion from the Australian Government to the ACT Government that will fund the purchase of houses treated with loose-fill asbestos fibre insulation in the 1960s and 1970s, the demolition of those houses, and the sale of the land for redevelopment, with the proceeds of the sales being used to assist the repayment of the loan. The first demolitions under the scheme began in July 2015.
A number of heritage homes have also been affected and will be lost, including Deasland, one of Canberra's most important historic homesteads, which was built by George Harcourt in 1893.