The Spotswood fire crew in Victoria will be moved to Newport due to asbestos being disturbed during renovations at the Spotswood fire station. Asbestos-based tiles were disturbed when old carpet was being pulled up as part of the improvements being worked on.

An officer from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade said he knew about these asbestos-based tiles at the station but assumed they were of no risk if undisturbed.

With the safety and health of both the community and MFB firefighters as their number one priority, the MFB has plans to have the situation resolved and have the Spotswood station back in action by next week.

Precautions such as the relocation of these firefighters is important when dealing with asbestos as exposure to asbestos poses serious risks to a person’s health.

A person can develop asbestos related condition from exposure to asbestos. Such conditions include asbestosis, asbestos related pleural disease and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a major problem for Australia in that it claims many lives each year and the number of people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma is only expected to grow. Thus precautions like that taken by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in situations where there is a chance of asbestos exposure is critical in an attempt to reduce these health risks and the number of people affected by them.

Unfortunately, in the past firefighters have developed asbestos conditions, often following their service which involved attending fires at premises which contained asbestos products. Law claims for mesothelioma in Australia have been made by some of these firefighters.

An Australian asbestos removalist from Bundaberg in Queensland has told Australians that one in ten houses in the Queensland town contains asbestos.

The staggering asbestos numbers are the result of Australia’s old building habits. Australia used to be the highest user of asbestos per capita between around 1950 and 1980. As such, asbestos removalist Charlie Walker has warned that houses built before 1985 most likely contain asbestos, even though the use of asbestos was officially banned Australia-wide in 2004.

This is a concern, as asbestos, if disturbed, can release extremely toxic asbestos fibres which if inhaled can cause asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. As such it is essential that renovators of older homes seek advice from qualified asbestos removalists before they undertake renovations to avoid the risk of asbestos exposure.

Because of the long latency period between asbestos exposure and the manifestation of an asbestos related disease, Australia has the one of the highest occurrence of mesothelioma worldwide.

As such, many Australian states including NSW, Victoria and South Australia have introduced legislation to assist those suffering asbestos conditions pursue an asbestos compensation claim, such as a mesothelioma compensation claim, in Australia. Asbestos compensation claims in Australia have occurred following exposure during home renovation. Mesothelioma legal claims in Australia have also be brought in circumstances where the Australian diagnosed with the condition of mesothelioma was exposed to asbestos during home renovation works.

The New South Wales state government has made the decision to hold off remediation works at the contaminated Woodsreef asbestos mine in New South Wales. This was decided to avoid disturbing the endangered large-eared bats which rest in a derelict building on the site.

The site is heavily toxic with a 75-metre pile of asbestos tailings and an old eight level building which is greatly contaminated with asbestos fibers. The public are at risk of being exposed from this toxic site given a public road divides the site and this is frequently used by the site’s neighbors.

A report has said that the NSW state government’s failure to take action in relation to the states derelict asbestos mine is putting the health of the public at risk and also showing inadequacy in asbestos management. Even Bruce Barbour, the NSW Ombudsman, has called the states decision to delay remedial works strange as these works are important to protect the community from the harmful effects of asbestos exposure. These health risks are very serious as even small amounts of asbestos exposure can cause a person to contract asbestosis and the cancer mesothelioma.

It is surprising that remedial work is yet to begin at the site which was closed in 1983 in light of Australia’s struggle with mesothelioma. Currently Australia has the one of the highest incidences of mesothelioma in the world and the number of new cases is expected to rise. It would thus seem that any steps to reduce the risk of mesothelioma should be taken immediately and not delayed. Mesothelioma asbestos claims in Australia are on the rise and this is a testament to the incidence of mesothelioma in Australia.

Over 27,000 tons of asbestos debris has been illegally dumped on a farm in upstate New York, resulting in the conviction of two men.

The asbestos debris was demolition material that had been shredded without the asbestos being removed. The dumping of asbestos is illegal in America, and also in Australia, as it is a known carcinogen that can cause asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis and the cancer mesothelioma.

The NBC revealed that prosecutors said that when agents arrived at the asbestos site they saw fresh bicycle marks on top of the asbestos piles, suggesting that children had been using the site and could have inhaled deadly asbestos fibres.

Unfortunately it is impossible to tell whether the children inhaled the asbestos, as asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma have a long latency period, meaning that if mesothelioma were to occur it would not manifest for decades.

There have been mesothelioma compensation claims in Australia involving children being exposed to asbestos from playing on asbestos debris. A terrible case occurred in New South Wales where mesothelioma compensation was claimed by a lady in her early 30s following exposure she had as a child in the West Australian blue asbestos mine at Wittenoom. Another case, being an asbestos compensation case in South Australia, occurred when a lady was also exposed to asbestos as a child.

Australia currently has one of the highest incidences of mesothelioma despite the official ban of asbestos use Australia-wide in 2004. This is because Australia was the highest user of asbestos per capita between around 1950 and 1980.
As such, many Australian states including NSW, Victoria and South Australia have introduced legislation to assist those suffering asbestos conditions pursue an asbestos compensation claim, such as a mesothelioma compensation claim, in Australia.