Cancer danger from carpet: doctor

Homeowners have been warned to treat their carpets with care or risk getting cancer.

Respiratory physician Bill Musk is concerned that hessian bags used to transport deadly asbestos products were later reused as carpet underlay.

Anyone who gets exposed to the underlay risks contracting mesothelioma, an incurable cancer, he says.

"So carpet underfelt from these bags is definitely potentially dangerous," Professor Musk told the ABC's 7.30 Report yesterday.

He told the program of people who had contracted mesothelioma or experienced lung problems, where the cause appeared to be related to carpet.

The program interviewed several people who believed some mesothelioma victims had been exposed to asbestos fibres from carpets.

A spokesman for Western Australia's Health Department, which has looked into the problem, urged home renovators to take care with their carpets.

"The main thing is to not disturb it and try and get some advice as to whether there is any dust in their house," he told the program.

He said people should hire professionals to rip up carpet underlay and to clean the house thoroughly afterwards.

The program said the bags were used in carpet underlay until the 1970s, and, while it was not known how many homes were affected, it could be in the tens of thousands.


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