New research from Western Australia has shown that mesothelioma and asbestosis are not the only diseases asbestos victims should be worried about.

The Australian researchers studied a test group of 2,500 children, and have revealed that children who are exposed to blue asbestos (crocidolite) during childhood have increased risk of a range of diseases, not just those usually associated with asbestos such as mesothelioma and asbestosis.

The test group lived at Wittenoom, a town in Western Australia that once mined blue asbestos. The study, which is published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, shows that these children have an increased risk of not only mesothelioma, but also brain cancer, heart disease and nervous disorders, as well as ovarian cancer in women, and colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and leukemia in men.

Clearly this is a study which may or may not be right. Any individual medical advice about asbestos conditions should be obtained from a properly qualified specialist.

Australia had the highest per capita use of asbestos products worldwide between 1950 and 1980, with the use of asbestos only being banned in Australia in 2004. However because of the large lag time between exposure to asbestos and development of an asbestos related disease, asbestos compensation claims (including mesothelioma compensation claims) are not expected to peak in Australia until 2020.

Royal Adelaide Hospital experienced an asbestos scare yesterday when a contractor fell through the ceiling and disturbed asbestos that was contained in the ceiling space.

The SA Herald Sun reported that the hospital, in Adelaide, South Australia, immediately implemented the standard asbestos control safety procedures including sealing the room to reduce the risk of patients and staff being exposed to asbestos, and also restricting access to the asbestos contaminated area. Clearly any exposure to asbestos is a concern given even small amounts can lead to mesothelioma, the asbestos related cancer.

To further reduce the risk of asbestos exposure, a nearby patient was relocated to another room, and a device that detects asbestos in the air was used to ensure the area was safe.

The contractor was not seriously harmed during his fall, but was treated for minor injuries. Safework SA has been alerted of the accident.

Asbestos incidents such as this will hopefully become a thing of the past, with the Australian government announcing in a report earlier this month that they are aiming for Australia to be completely asbestos-free by 2030. If achieved, this will significantly reduce the amount of Australians who contract asbestos related conditions such as mesothelioma and asbestosis.

Illawarra wharfies are angered after asbestos was discovered in a soil shipment which they were handling from a Barangaroo construction site in Sydney to Port Kembla. The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has responded by prohibiting developer Land Lease to go ahead with the 600,000 tone shipment of soil after the asbestos was found.

However this has not settled down angry dock workers who had been handling the contaminated soil for a week.

A ban by unions has now be placed on receiving any more shipments from the Barangaroo construction site and conducting work on the material until they are completely sure there is no more health risks.
Workers who handled the shipment have spoken out about their fear over the health risks associated with exposure to asbestos, not just for themselves but for their families.

Unfortunately, even small amounts of asbestos exposure can result in the development of malignant mesothelioma, the asbestos related cancer. These New South Wales workers may have had friends or relatives who have suffered asbestos conditions in the past which would add to their concern. Many mesothelioma compensation claims in NSW have occurred since the establishment of the Dust Diseases Tribunal of NSW in 1989. Such asbestos compensation claims in NSW have highlighted the number of those in New South Wales who are diagnosed with asbestos conditions.

The recall continues for China’s biggest domestic car manufacturer and exporter Cherry Auto who only two weeks ago recalled some 23,000 cars from Australia due to the discovery of asbestos in some models.

The company has now announced they will be recalling another 18,875 vehicles from other countries including Brazil, Argentina and Singapore for the same reasons. The discovery of asbestos in these models came after a self-imposing examination was undertaken as a result of the findings in Australia.

It has been confirmed by Jin Yibo spokesman of Cherry Auto that the gaskets in these vehicles that are being recalled contained small amounts of asbestos. The presence of asbestos in these models violates national asbestos bans which are in place in 55 countries and bans in countries such as Australia and Brazil which prohibit asbestos in automobiles.

These bans are an indicator of the dangers which are associated with asbestos. Exposure to asbestos is responsible for causing asbestosis and the cancer mesothelioma, hence why the recall of these models is so vital.

In Australia, there have been multiple asbestos compensation claims made against manufactures of asbestos brake linings in respect to Australians suffering asbestos conditions such as mesothelioma and asbestosis.