After a fire broke out at the former Port Kembla public school in New South Wales, it has been decided that demolition work will commence in an effort to make the site safer. A major concern at the site is asbestos exposure as some particles fell on the ground in front of the building after it was badly damaged by the fire on 3 January 2013.

The owner of the building will be using air monitors and wetting down the site to reduce the health risks associated with asbestos. They have also confirmed that they will be using all the recognised safety procedures for dealing with this type of asbestos problem and that there shouldn’t be any major issues.

A long reach excavator is going to be used to bring down the building but this will only be done once all the asbestos on the site is collected in buckets. All these safety measures are important because even minimal exposure to asbestos can lead to an individual contracting an asbestos related disease such as mesothelioma.

New South Wales has seen many compensation cases where a person has been diagnosed with mesothelioma after relatively short exposure to asbestos.

A Sydney family has discovered the consequences of unprofessional bathroom renovations, causing them to be exposed to the potentially deadly asbestos dust and fibre. The Mead family hired a handyman to renovate their old home, and then realised that the tradesman could have been unlicensed and may have exposed them to asbestos.

Due to the long latency period between exposure to asbestos and the contraction of an asbestos-related condition such as mesothelioma, the health of the family is still uncertain.

Although the use of asbestos is now banned in Australia, asbestos is commonly found in all homes built prior to about 1984, and continues to affect people in the home building industry. Many home renovators are ignorant of the risks posed by the lethal substance. Exposure to asbestos can lead to the onset of asbestos-related conditions such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

NSW Fair Trading recommends that home renovators use the services of a licensed professional tradesman and that any asbestos removal be conducted by a professional. Individuals should not attempt to remove asbestos themselves due to the risks posed by asbestos exposure and airborne asbestos fibres.

Asbestos compensation legislation has been introduced in states such as NSW, Victoria and South Australia, allowing those who contract an asbestos-related condition to pursue an asbestosis compensation or mesothelioma compensation claim. Such asbestos compensation legislation has helped Australian home renovators pursue their compensation entitlements following the diagnosis of an asbestos relation condition such as mesothelioma.

The Pakistan national legislature has decided it’s time to consider placing a ban on asbestos throughout the country due to its link to dangerous diseases and cancer.

Asbestos is extensively used throughout Pakistan as the country relies on the toxic material for the manufacture of a number of things including gaskets, roof coating and clothing.

Because of the heavy use of asbestos in Pakistan, there is a major concern that cancers such as mesothelioma will increase among industrial workers.

If Pakistan decides to ban asbestos they will be joining some 55 countries who have already placed a ban on the import of asbestos. Among these are Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Inhaling asbestos is extremely dangerous as it can lead to an individual contracting a fatal disease such as asbestos lung cancer, asbestosis or mesothelioma. Despite these health risks being internationally recognized, like Pakistan, both the United States and Canada have not completely banned asbestos.

However in Australia there is legislation in place to assist people in pursuing an asbestos compensation claims in Australia including both asbestosis compensation claims in Australia and mesothelioma compensation in Australia.

In August 2012 the City of Melville, West Australia, made a decision to close and fence off the Ogilvie Road Park in Mt Pleasant, Western Australia after asbestos was found at the park by the Health Department.

Four months after being closed the park has now been re-opened to the public with it being completely cleared of asbestos on 27 December 2012.

Although the Melville council was aware that the asbestos was not a major problem they believed it was important to perform a careful investigation of the park to ensure it was safe for the public.

The council was right to do so as there is no safe asbestos level and even minimal exposure can lead to an individual contracting an asbestos related illness such including pleural mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma in Australia is a real problem, with Australia having one of the largest case load of mesothelioma per head of population. There are many people diagnosed with asbestos conditions in Australia each year.