Mr Fluffy vs cellulose · the honest answer
Mr Fluffy asbestos vs cellulose: how to tell them apart
People sometimes hear “loose insulation blown into a roof” and think of the “Mr Fluffy” asbestos scandal. I understand the worry, but they’re two completely different products. Mr Fluffy was raw asbestos blown loose by one rogue importer in the ACT and NSW, decades ago. Cellulose is grey recycled paper with borate, and it has never contained asbestos.
I’m Peter Johnson. I’ve been pumping cellulose into South East Queensland roofs since 1986, so I’ve had this question more than once. Rather than wave it away, here’s the straight story on what Mr Fluffy actually was, how to tell the loose-fills apart, and why one bad product 40 years ago says nothing about what we make.
Recycled paper + borate
never any asbestos, ever
Straight up
No, cellulose is not Mr Fluffy, and it’s nothing like it.
“Mr Fluffy” was raw, crushed asbestos, a deadly mineral fibre, blown loose into ceilings by one importer in the ACT and NSW from the late 1960s into the early 1980s. Cellulose is grey shredded recycled paper, treated with borate for fire and pest resistance. It is a completely different material, and it has never contained a speck of asbestos. The only thing the two ever shared is that both were installed loose into a roof, which is exactly why some people muddle them up.
I won’t pretend the Mr Fluffy story wasn’t real or serious. It was. People lost their homes over it. But once you know what it actually was, who installed it and where, you’ll see plainly why it has nothing to do with the borate-treated cellulose we pump into your roof.
The real Mr Fluffy story
One importer, one banned product, one small region.
This is worth getting straight, because the more you understand what Mr Fluffy was, the clearer it is that it isn't cellulose.
- 1
A single business, from 1968
A Dutch immigrant named Dirk Jansen ran a company (trading as Asbestosfluf and D. Jansen & Co, founded in 1968, later succeeded by J&H Insulation) that sold loose-fill asbestos as ceiling insulation.
- 2
Raw, crushed asbestos blown in loose
The product was raw amphibole asbestos (mostly brown amosite, with some blue crocidolite) crushed and blown directly into roof spaces with no binder holding it together. Just loose, friable asbestos fibre sitting above people's ceilings.
- 3
Late 1960s to early 1980s
It was installed across roughly this window, before being stopped. The 'Mr Fluffy' nickname only came along later, in the 1990s, as the scale of the problem became clear.
- 4
A defined area: ACT and NSW
Around 1,022 homes in the ACT and about 112 in NSW are recorded as affected, concentrated in and around the ACT, including Queanbeyan, with a small number later identified in northern Sydney.
- 5
Banned, and homes demolished
The product was banned and governments eventually ran buy-back and demolition schemes for affected houses. It was a genuine tragedy, and it was one rogue product that was stamped out.
Sources for the history above: Australian Government Asbestos Safety guide, NSW Government and the “Mr Fluffy” background.
Three different loose-fills
How to tell them apart, and when not to trust your eyes.
If you've found an unknown loose material in an older roof, here's a rough guide to what you might be looking at. Read the honest caveat at the bottom before you go poking around.
Raw loose-fill asbestos (Mr Fluffy)
A fluffy, fibrous, loose material, often greyish or off-white, with no binder holding it together. This is the dangerous one. If you genuinely suspect it in an older ACT/NSW home, do not disturb it and get it tested.
Asbestos-contaminated vermiculite (Zonolite)
Small gold-brown or grey pebbly, accordion-shaped flakes, a different product again, which the US EPA warns about. Not the same as Mr Fluffy, and not cellulose either.
Cellulose: what we install
- Grey, shredded, papery fibre, because it’s recycled paper.
- Treated with borate (boric acid + borax) for fire and pests.
- Never contained asbestos, not in any reputable product.
The honest caveat I always give: in a dark roof cavity you can’t always tell loose-fills apart by eye, and you should never bet your health on a guess. If you’ve bought an older home and you’re genuinely unsure what’s up there, don’t panic and don’t start disturbing it. Get a sample tested by a NATA-accredited lab. That’s the safe answer, full stop. More on asbestos in your roof →
Buying or renovating an older home?
There are public registers you can check.
If you're in the ACT or NSW and you want certainty before you buy or renovate, the governments there keep searchable registers of affected addresses.
NSW Loose-fill Asbestos Insulation Register
NSW Fair Trading maintains a public register of premises identified with loose-fill asbestos insulation. If you’re buying or renovating an older home in NSW, you can search the address there.
ACT Affected Residential Premises Register
The ACT keeps an Affected Residential Premises Register listing properties identified under the loose-fill asbestos program. Again, you can look up an address before you commit.
Here’s the key thing for my customers: every affected home on those public registers is in the ACT or NSW. The installer never operated in Queensland. So for a Queensland roof, the Mr Fluffy problem simply wasn’t part of the picture. That said, if you ever find an unknown loose-fill in any older roof, treat it cautiously and get it tested rather than relying on a register alone.
Watch the story
The Mr Fluffy story, on the news.
This ABC News report covers the loose-fill asbestos problem in ACT homes, the real product, the real scandal. Watch it and you'll see how different it is from a bag of grey recycled paper.
Don’t judge every car by one bad engine
One rogue importer doesn’t make every loose-fill dangerous.
Here’s how I’d put it to a worried customer. Mr Fluffy was one importer, selling one banned raw-asbestos product, in one small region, the ACT and a corner of NSW, forty years ago. Modern cellulose is a different thing entirely: borate-treated recycled paper that never contained asbestos.
Buying a car from one maker that built a bad engine doesn’t mean every car has a bad engine. Judging all cellulose by Mr Fluffy is the same mistake. Reputable cellulose makers never used asbestos and only ever used borate, and we make ours in Tiaro, where you’re welcome to come and watch it being milled and treated.
Two very different products
Mr Fluffy:raw crushed amphibole asbestos, no binder, one importer, ACT/NSW, ~1968–early-1980s. Banned. Homes demolished.
Our cellulose: grey recycled paper + borate, made by our family in Tiaro, pumped seamlessly, backed by the Life-of-House Guarantee. Never any asbestos.
Honest answers
Mr Fluffy questions I get asked.
Is cellulose insulation the same as Mr Fluffy asbestos?+
No, they're completely different products. 'Mr Fluffy' was raw, crushed amphibole asbestos (mostly brown amosite, with some blue crocidolite) blown loose into ceilings with no binder, by one importer from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. Cellulose is grey, shredded recycled paper treated with borate (boric acid and borax) for fire and pest resistance. It has never contained asbestos. The only thing they share is that both were installed as a loose-fill, and that's exactly why people get them confused.
What actually was Mr Fluffy?+
It was a single business. A Dutch immigrant named Dirk Jansen ran a company (trading as Asbestosfluf and D. Jansen & Co, founded in 1968; later succeeded by J&H Insulation) that pumped raw, crushed asbestos loose into roof spaces as insulation, roughly from 1968 into the early 1980s. The nickname 'Mr Fluffy' came later, in the 1990s. The Australian Government's asbestos guide and the NSW Government both cover this history. It was a real and serious problem, but it was one product, from one operator, that was banned.
How many homes were affected, and was Queensland ever involved?+
Around 1,022 homes in the ACT and about 112 in NSW are recorded as affected, concentrated in and around the ACT (including Queanbeyan), with a small number later found in northern Sydney. Every affected home on the public registers is in the ACT or NSW. The installer never operated in Queensland. That said, if you've bought an older home and you're genuinely unsure what's in your roof, the right move isn't to panic. It's to get a sample tested by a NATA-accredited lab.
How do I tell raw asbestos, asbestos-vermiculite and cellulose apart by looking?+
As a rough guide: raw loose-fill asbestos (Mr Fluffy) looks like a fluffy, fibrous, often greyish or off-white loose material with no binder. Asbestos-contaminated vermiculite, the 'Zonolite' type the US EPA warns about, looks like small gold-brown or grey pebbly, accordion-shaped flakes. Cellulose looks like grey, shredded, papery fibre, because that's what it is. The honest caveat: in a dark roof cavity you can't always tell loose-fills apart by eye, and you shouldn't bet your health on a guess. If there's any doubt about an older home, don't disturb it. Get a NATA test.
Is there a register I can check before I buy or renovate a house?+
Yes. NSW Fair Trading keeps a public Loose-fill Asbestos Insulation Register, and the ACT runs an Affected Residential Premises Register. If you're buying or renovating an older home in those areas, you can search the address. Both are linked from this page. Outside the ACT/NSW the installer never operated, but if you ever find an unknown loose-fill in any older roof, treat it cautiously and get it tested rather than relying on a register alone.
So why shouldn't one asbestos scandal put me off cellulose?+
Because it was one rogue importer, one banned raw-asbestos product, in one small region, the ACT and a corner of NSW, forty years ago. Modern cellulose is a different thing entirely: borate-treated recycled paper that never contained asbestos. Judging all cellulose by Mr Fluffy is like refusing to ever buy a car because one manufacturer once built a bad engine. Reputable cellulose makers never used asbestos and only ever used borate. We make ours in Tiaro and you're welcome to come and watch.
Glad to know cellulose isn't what you feared? Tell people.
A quick honest review genuinely helps a small family business, and helps the next person decide. Thank you.
Want insulation made by the family who pumps it in?
We make our borate-treated cellulose in Tiaro, recycled paper, never any asbestos, and we install it ourselves. Send me your address and roof type and I’ll give you a fixed-price quote, and you’re welcome to come and see exactly what we put in your roof.