Aussie influencer Shai Howland discovered an abundance of asbestos in the walls of her newly-purchased South Australia farmhouse while renovating with her partner, posting their filmed discovery on TikTok.
The pair are seen removing wallpaper from the house’s walls without wearing masks, gloves, or other protective gear (which are heavily recommended when conducting renovation projects), and Howland wasn’t wearing shoes.
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals that can cause serious health conditions, including lung cancer and mesothelioma. It was used extensively in construction for decades, before being phased out in the 1980s and eventually banned in Australia in 2004.
A screenshot from Howland’s original TikTok. (Source: TikTok)
When Howland’s partner made the discovery that the home’s walls are packed with asbestos in the video, Howland is heard saying “what the fuck?” and, for some reason, sniffs her finger directly after.
The video’s caption states that the pair have “learnt our lesson” after the incident.
“And that’s on being non-diligent,” the caption read.
“Anxiety and a lot of asbestos google searches later we’ve learnt our lesson.”
Commenters on the video have also given their takes on the situation, with some people saying they’ve lived with asbestos in their home for years with “no problems”.
“You need to be around it for 20+ years when it’s exposed [for any issues to occur]. Don’t stress,” wrote one user.
We’re not sure about this one king. (Source: TikTok)
Other users, however, have expressed just how dangerous asbestos exposure can be.
“My partner removes that stuff, they use a 2k mask…” wrote a different commenter.
“They are tiny fibers in [wallpaper], if damaged [they] can go airborne that can be dangerous if inhaled and are extremely toxic. Found in older homes, they don’t make it the same anymore,” wrote another.
And there was a fair share of healthy roasting of the pair in the comments, as one would expect from the internet.
“‘Let’s record us finding out it’s asbestos for views’,” one commenter sarcastically chimed in.
“The hand to the nose at the end of the video made me about [to] have a heart attack,” said another.
LMAO at these comments. (Source: TikTok)
Following the pair’s scary experience with asbestos, Howland stated in a reply to a comment that she’s going to “look into asbestos testing” in the future.
“Massive lesson learnt!” She said.
According to the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency, approximately one third of all homes in Australia contain asbestos products, and homes built before 1990 are “likely” to have asbestos materials.
