Alton in the United States is hosting their fourth annual Alton Miles for Meso race on Saturday. The main goal of this race is to raise much needed funds for mesothelioma research. The race is something that involves a large variety of people from professional runners, walkers and families.

The Alton race is one of three Miles for Meso races that have taken place during September all over America in celebrating National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. The funds raised from the race will go toward helping medical research hopefully develop a cure for mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases.

Along with America, Australia too feels the devastating effects of mesothelioma. Due to the heavy use of asbestos in Australia’s past, we now have one of the highest rates of asbestos related cancer deaths in the world. In 2007 it was recorded 551 people died from mesothelioma in Australia and experts predict this figure to peak in 2020.

Thus like America, raising funds and awareness for mesothelioma is extremely important within Australia, to hopefully develop a cure and reduce the number of people affected by this disease. Any cure would also hopefully ease the Australian Court system, as there are many mesothelioma compensation claims in Australia. Some states have streamlined the process, for example, in New South Wales, asbestos and mesothelioma compensation claims are run through the Dust Diseases Tribunal of New South Wales. In Victoria asbestos and mesothelioma compensation claims, specific legislation assists Victorian sufferers of mesothelioma and asbestosis; and in South Australia asbestos and mesothelioma compensation claims, again, there is specific legislation that assists South Australian sufferers of mesothelioma and asbestosis pursue their rights.

Asbestos was discovered over the weekend at a school in the United States; it was found in the flooring of the school’s gym and has caused the gym to be closed to both students and staff. Although tests have shown that the air in and around the gym are clean the matter is still being taken very seriously.

The discovery of asbestos at schools is not something America only struggles with; it is a major problem worldwide and Australia is no stranger to this issue. Only recently John McDonald a victim of the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma has said he contracted the disease due to exposure to asbestos he experienced while attending Wagin High School in Western Australia.

Only a few years before this claim, in 2010 Albion North primary school in Melbourne was locked down due to the discovery of asbestos in a pile of rubble on school grounds. The removal of asbestos from all Australian schools are said to be the top priority in the Australian Government’s nationwide plan to make Australia asbestos free by the year 2030.

This plan is an important proposal for Australia as we have the highest incidence of asbestos related diseases, including the cancer mesothelioma, and asbestosis. The removal of all asbestos from Australian schools will ensure the safety of children and staff. In the past, there have been Australian asbestos compensation claims where the person seeking compensation said they were exposed to asbestos at an Australian school.

For more then a century, asbestos has been produced in the Canadian town of Quebec however the health risks associated with exposure to asbestos including mesothelioma and asbestosis have seen growing support for a ban on its production. Due to these health risks, the use of asbestos is already banned in 50 countries including Australia who implemented to ban in December 2003.

A positive move toward a total ban on the production of asbestos has been recently seen when the Canadian Government decided they will no longer fight international efforts to list asbestos as a hazardous substance under the United Nations Rotterdam Convention. If asbestos was to be added to the list it would require exporting countries to notify importing countries about the dangers of using asbestos and require safe handling and precautionary measures to be undertaken.

For asbestos to be added to the hazardous-substances list, all the relevant countries who have signed the convention must agree with the addition. This includes Australia who signed the convention in July 1999. Other asbestos producing countries such as China and Brazil have also opposed asbestos being added to the list however it was Canada who protested the hardest.

Considering asbestos is linked to the deadly cancer mesothelioma, the move to list asbestos as a hazardous substance seems inevitable as just another step in ensuring the safety of people who are exposed to it. Mesothelioma is known only to well in Australia, with hundreds of cases of this condition occurring each year. One only has to look at the Australia legal system to realize just how asbestos related conditions have affected Australians. Specific legislation has been implemented in numerous states, including New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, to assist those suffering asbestos conditions pursue an asbestos compensation claim in Australia.

Mackay Park near Batemans Bay on the south coast of New South Wales has been temporarily closed after asbestos was found on the park’s grounds. The public has been banned from the park, even forcing a weekend football game to be relocated. The Eurobodalla Shire Council has confirmed that action is being taken to ensure the safety of the community.

The Council has done some testing and inspections of the park grounds and no asbestos has been found on the playing fields themselves, rather nearby. The decision to close the park to the public is the right one to ensure the safety of everybody as even minimal exposure to asbestos can lead to an individual contracting the disease mesothelioma.

There have been asbestos compensation claims in Australia resulting from relatively small amounts of asbestos causing the condition mesothelioma. Asbestosis compensation claims in Australia usually result from more moderate exposures to asbestos.

Australia has one of the highest rates of deaths by asbestos related diseases in the world and the number of mesothelioma cases in Australia is expected to peak within the next decade. Thus in circumstances like this where asbestos is found in public spaces, immediate action is a good step to try and ensure future Australians being diagnosed with asbestos related conditions such as mesothelioma are minimized.