Kōrero: Building materials

A worker handles a material known as fibrolite – a mixture of cement and asbestos. Fibrolite was made into roofing, wall boards and decking boards. When it is cut, the dust releases dangerous fibres that cause asbestosis, a lung disease that can kill people decades after exposure. This product is no longer manufactured in New Zealand, but the term fibrolite is still used for modern cement sheets, which contain no asbestos.