Residents in Logan City, Queensland, may have been exposed to asbestos and asbestos fibres for four days before it was removed by Logan City Council. In fact, this is not the first time that residents may have been exposed to asbestos; it has been asserted that the illegal dumping of broken sheets containing asbestos fibres occur up to two times per month.

It must be noted that if the sheets were intact and undisturbed, then the residents would not have to worry about contracting asbestos related diseases. What should be of concern to the residents and Logan City Council is that the sheets were damaged and shattered; this ultimately could result in asbestos fibres becoming airborne, thereby becoming a threat to the health of locals. Airborne asbestos fibres, once inhaled or ingested, can lead to serious asbestos related diseases, such as mesothelioma or asbestos related pleural disease.

Found amongst the 3m long and 2m wide pile of sheets was also protective suits and masks. This suggests that the person who took to this illegal dumping was aware of the threat that asbestos poses to society and our health.

Unfortunately, many cases of mesothelioma in Australia and asbestosis in Australia are diagnosed each year. Australia has one of the highest incidences of mesothelioma in the world. Asbestos related conditions have affected many residents of Queensland. Indeed, specific legislation assists mesothelioma compensation claims in Queensland and asbestos compensation claims in Queensland.

In Australia mesothelioma is a prominent issue amongst those who have been exposed to asbestos. Those who suffer from mesothelioma, and in need of mesothelioma compensation and mesothelioma treatment, often include construction workers and home renovators.

Although a multitude of people within Australia suffer from mesothelioma, it has proven to be difficult to diagnose, as the latency period can be anywhere between ten to forty years. A new ‘supercomputer’, called ‘Thomas Watson’ (after the International Business Machines President), has been constructed to help improve the speed and efficiency of diagnosis and treatments for mesothelioma patients.

The way in which Watson works is that it is able to sift through millions of patient records and histories within a few seconds, and provide the doctors with possible mesothelioma treatments for the patients. To this date, this supercomputer has absorbed around two million pages of clinical trials and medical journals concerning asbestos, lung cancer or mesothelioma. Watson is currently being taught to take this information and analyse it for the benefit of mesothelioma patients.

This computer has proven to be useful in more rural areas, where comprehensive care is not as accessible. Watson also facilitates doctors who may not have the time to keep themselves up to date with new articles that come out every day.

In Australia mesothelioma compensation (or asbestos compensation, or asbestosis compensation) is available to those who unfortunately do contract mesothelioma. In particular, NSW and Victoria have legislation that protects those who regrettably suffer from mesothelioma, or other asbestos related diseases, and wish to obtain mesothelioma compensation. Mesothelioma compensation, asbestos compensation and asbestosis compensation are claims brought about by people who have worked with asbestos and who suffer from mesothelioma.

Asbestos in Australian homes is a major concern as two out of three homes built before the early 1980s still contain asbestos. Due to this alarming figure, building unions will start a movement in Sydney next week pushing for new laws that will help remove all of this asbestos.

Australia was a high user of asbestos from the 1950s to the early1980s. The consequences of this are still heavily felt today, with Australia having the highest incident of asbestos related cancer in the world and the number of new mesothelioma cases still rising. One only has to look to mesothelioma compensation claims in Australia to get an idea of the staggering numbers of Australians being affected.

Australian building unions believe something needs to be done to get rid of deadly asbestos that is still present in our homes and buildings to prevent asbestos conditions claiming the lives of more Australians. Asbestos in our homes is a serious concern as many residents who begin renovations don’t realize their home contains asbestos until after they have been dangerously exposed.

Unions are pushing for recommendations from a government report on asbestos that was finished in June to be executed and funded. One major recommendation that is being encouraged by unions is that all homes built before 1987 which contain asbestos should be labeled to warn renters, buyers and renovators. These individuals need to be aware about the presence of asbestos in their homes as even minimal exposure to asbestos can lead to these individuals contracting a serious asbestos disease such as mesothelioma.

A report will be presented to Tamworth Regional Council later this month discussing whether or not a road that runs through Barraba’s Woodsreef asbestos mine in New South Wales should be closed. The NSW government and Woodsreef Taskforce are pushing for Crow Mountain Road to be closed due to fears that the public may be dangerously exposed to asbestos.

The report will be lengthy as it will include the many submissions that have been made to Council and the questions these raise. Council will have to consider a number of factors when making their decision and whether or not to support the request for closure.

The main factor that Council will take into consideration is that its public liability insurance does not cover Crow Mountain Road because of its connection to asbestos. It will also not cover any claims brought against Council in the future that arise from exposure to asbestos. These strict exclusions were implemented by insurance companies after the claims that were brought against James Hardie.

Council will have to take into account the impact closing the road will have on resident’s daily lives and businesses. Hopefully, the deciding factor should be whether this road poses a health risk to the community due to exposure to asbestos. This is a serious concern as even minimal exposure to asbestos can lead to a person contracting an asbestos related disease such as mesothelioma.

Australian states including NSW, Victoria and Adelaide have legislation in place to help those suffering from an asbestos related disease pursue an asbestos compensation claim. These claims include both asbestosis compensation and mesothelioma compensation in Australia.