Over 170 homes have been damaged and three completely destroyed after what has been described as a mini tornado ripped through Kiama in New South Wales on Sunday morning. Ferocious winds ripped up trees and pulled up roofs leaving a lot of debris which are believed to contain asbestos.
When asbestos fibres become airborne, anyone exposed to them could be at risk of contracting an asbestos related disease such as mesothelioma. While the asbestos was wet, there wasn’t much concern however now that it is becoming sunny the asbestos is drying out it is becoming extremely dangerous.
The storm on Sunday morning was responsible for a large amount of damage in Kiama including the leisure centre losing its roof. This has caused major problems as the leisure centre is mainly built from asbestos. As a result 70 people who live in the area surrounding the leisure centre will be evacuated until the area has been completely cleaned and is asbestos free.
The clean up of asbestos in Kiama is extremely important so residents are not at risk of contracting asbestos related illnesses like the cancer mesothelioma. While there is mesothelioma treatment available the disease is generally incurable and the number of new mesothelioma cases in Australia is expected to rise within the next decade. Therefore all necessary steps must be taken to reduce the chances of any Kiama residents being diagnosed with this cancer
