The man credited with deciding in 1978 to eliminate asbestos from James Hardie products said he thought at the time that widespread health concern about its use in building materials was a "media beat-up".
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David MacFarlane was the managing director of James Hardie Industries between 1978 and 1989 and has never before given evidence about his role in the company, which manufactured and distributed building and other products containing asbestos.
He told the Dust Diseases Tribunal in Sydney on Tuesday that on taking the top job he received a brief from the Hardie board.
"My job was to get rid of asbestos … just to do it as quickly as possible," he said.
The directive was issued because "asbestos was getting very expensive" and "asbestos was in bad odour around the world".
In extraordinary evidence to the tribunal, Mr MacFarlane said that at the time he thought "the risk side of it was overdone" and "there was a lot of talk about it but I didn't think it was as dangerous as people said, if it was properly controlled".
Under cross-examination by Peter Semmler, QC, he said he was so comfortable with the product that "I went on using it myself … A common thought at the time was that dust inhaled in small degrees over a long period of time didn't do much damage".
"Who held that view?" Mr Semmler asked, to which Mr MacFarlane replied: "The world did."
Stephen Wickham, 52, a freelance lighting designer from Thornleigh, is suing Amaca Pty Ltd, formerly known as James Hardie & Coy Pty Ltd, for damages.
Mr Wickham was diagnosed last year with mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos. The father of two is part of the so-called "third wave" of asbestos victims exposed to the lethal dust and fibres during renovations and do-it-yourself odd jobs of homes built between the 1940s and the late 1980s.
Mr Wickham demolished an old fibro shed and fence at a home he had purchased in Perth in 1994. He moved to Australia from England in 1987 and, while he was aware asbestos was dangerous, he was unaware that "fibro" contained asbestos, he said.
He is suing for damages, claiming James Hardie should have funded a widespread public awareness campaign targeted at home renovators about the dangers of handling, drilling and demolishing building material containing asbestos.
His solicitor, Tanya Segelov, from Turner Freeman lawyers, said Amaca appeared to be using Mr Wickham's claim as a test case.
The hearing continues.
