The Ross Divett foundation has held their last fund-raising event at the Hotel Realm in Canberra as a celebration of 10 years of generosity. Ross Divett, who the foundation was established in honour of, passed away in 2001 from the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma.

His wife and chairwomen of this asbestos foundation is hoping their last donation makes a huge difference to those suffering from mesothelioma. The foundation will be donating their last funds to the University of Western Australia which will go toward the work undertaken by a young researcher in the National Asbestos Diseases Area.

This work will be guided by Professor Bruce Robinson who is the co-leader of the team who discovered a blood test for mesothelioma and performed Australia’s first ever cancer gene therapy trial. His expertise and friendship with Ross Divett made his team the perfect choice to receive the funds.

Mesothelioma is a heartbreaking disease which has claimed the lives of so many people around the world; this has been felt heavily within Australia as we have one of highest rates of asbestos related cancer deaths. Therefore any funding to assist research in the area of asbestos and mesothelioma are greatly needed and appreciated when received. Especially as experts predict that the number of mesothelioma cases is set to rise, hopefully this research will go toward mesothelioma treatment in Australia.

Asbestos compensation claims in Australia are on the rise, and ironically so are incidents of illegal asbestos dumping in South Australia.

The dumping of waste is an illegal activity, but the dumping of asbestos is even worse, as asbestos is a known carcinogen which can cause asbestos related conditions such as asbestosis and mesothelioma.

The ABC has reported that the illegal dumping of asbestos and other materials is becoming a significant concern in regional areas of South Australia, a claim backed up by the Environmental Protection Authority of South Australia (EPA).

South Australia’s EPA has said that the issue of illegal dumping was recently brought to light after they were called to clean up a hydrocarbon spill near Port Pirie, but that this case was only one of a number of cases where dangerous materials are being illegally abandoned.

Offenders in these cases are not often brought to justice, and as such, South Australia’s EPA urges people to report illegal dumping, particularly of asbestos, in order to stop people from dumping.

South Australia’s EPA says that calls to the unit are increasing, and that most of them are regarding asbestos. As such it is important to address the issue in order to prevent the public from being exposed to the abandoned asbestos and developing asbestos related diseases such as malignant pleural mesothelioma.

South Australia has one of the highest incidences of mesothelioma in the world per capital.

Asbestos dumping is becoming a problem for Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs as residents are intentionally dumping the dangerous material in their front yards with the hope that it will be removed during rubbish collection.

However the waste management company who picks up the rubbish has spoken out saying they won’t be fooled into doing other people’s dirty work, if something contains asbestos they will not pick it up. While some residents are actually unsure that what they are putting out is asbestos, Michael Strickland, manager of the waste company believes many people are aware of what they are putting on their lawns.

In most circumstances in Victoria asbestos can only be removed by a licensed removalist, however a lack of awareness of the dangers of asbestos see many home renovators rip into the deadly material.

Exposure to asbestos even a small amount of asbestos can lead to a person contracting the cancer mesothelioma. Other asbestos conditions such as asbestosis and asbestos related pleural disease can occur following higher levels of asbestos exposure.

Therefore the dumping of asbestos by residents is extremely dangerous to the public and to those who have to remove it, and steps should be taken to prevent this from happening. Further, if residents dump asbestos and another person is exposed to that asbestos and develops an asbestos condition as a result of such exposure, an asbestos compensation claim may well be made.

A new government report which was released on the 17 August 2012 is calling on Australia to be asbestos free by the year 2030. This is hoped to be achieved by removing all construction materials which contain asbestos from both government and commercial buildings throughout Australia.

Bill Shorten the Minister of Workplace Relations who released the report has said that during the 20th century, Australia had one of the highest usage rates of asbestos. The consequences of this are still felt today as Australia now has one of the highest rates of asbestos related diseases in the world. Among these diseases caused by exposure to asbestos is the cancer mesothelioma. Regular asbestos compensation claims in Australia highlight just how much asbestos was used in this country in the past. Indeed asbestos compensation litigation in South Australia, asbestos compensation litigation in New South Wales and asbestos compensation litigation in Victoria are all assisted by specific state legislation to help victims pursue asbestos compensation in Australia.

Mr Shorten has confirmed that on average more than 650 Australians a year are diagnosed with mesothelioma and experts are sure that this figure will not decrease before 2022. Despite a nationwide ban on asbestos, the deadly material is still found in many older households and government buildings. Therefore asbestos diseases like mesothelioma still take the lives of many Australians.

The Australian Government will now consider the recommendations from the report put forward by the Asbestos Management Review panel and prepare a response. This report calls on the government to create a plan to effectively remove and mange asbestos in Australia with the goal of there being no asbestos by 2030.