The clean up of the asbestos contaminated Denison Country Caravan Park which was destroyed by Mulwala’s March 21 tornado has been delayed and is not set to start for weeks. This delay is due to tender documents being produced for the clean-up work.

Other areas in the Corowa Shire that were damaged by the tornado were cleaned up weeks ago. However now the major task is on rebuilding the homes and caravans at both the Denison County Caravan Park and Sun Country Holiday Village. While Sun Country is undertaking their own repairs, Denison Country is not because of the presence of asbestos at the site.

WorkCover NSW has confirmed the site to be hazardous; this is because exposure to asbestos can lead to people contracting asbestos related diseases many years later. These diseases include asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

The project has now been handed over to the New South Wales treasury as the resident’s insurance was not enough to pay the cost of clearing all the toxic asbestos. The work is expected to start within weeks and once started is going to be a quick process. The removal of asbestos is extremely important as Australia has one of the highest rates of asbestos related diseases in the world.

With the help of legislation in many Australian states including NSW, Victoria and South Australia, people suffering from asbestos related diseases in Australia have been able to receive asbestos compensation. Included in this compensation are claims for asbestosis compensation in Australia and mesothelioma compensation in Australia.

Mark McCabe, the Australian Capital Territory work safety commissioner, is pushing for on-the-spot fines to be introduced for any person who is caught illegally removing asbestos. McCabe has confirmed this has been a serious concern with the number of builders not safely removing and disposing asbestos increasing.

The only punishment for these builders at the moment is court action against them and McCabe thinks on-the-spot fines will be more effective in putting a stop to this behaviour. He has said these fines should be up to $5,000. This is because if these fines are only small, builders are likely to choose to take the risk and remove asbestos illegally rather then spend the money on getting licensed removalists to dispose of the asbestos.

There are a huge number of houses in Australia that contain asbestos but this is safe when the asbestos is not disturbed. However when these houses are renovated, knocked down and rebuilt, and asbestos is not managed appropriately, this is when asbestos may pose a health risk. People who are exposed to asbestos maybe diagnosed with an asbestos related diseases years after. Some of these diseases include asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

There have been many cases of builders in Australia who go on to develop asbestos related conditions such as mesothelioma and asbestos related pleural disease. Home renovators are also at risk. Mesothelioma in Australia is a real concern, and it is hoped that home renovators and builders are aware of risks of asbestos to ensure the appropriate safety measures are implemented.

Queensland authorities worked hard over the weekend to clear asbestos in the Airport Link tunnel in Brisbane, Queensland. Emergency services have said a car carrying a trailer full of asbestos sheets lost its load in the tunnel on early Saturday afternoon. Before the tunnel was closed many cars drove over the asbestos sheets causing the asbestos to break up into pieces.

In order to reduce the threat from the asbestos, firefighters used water and foam and an asbestos removal company was contacted to clean up the asbestos. Police are now undertaking an investigation into the situation and trying to identify how the asbestos was contained in the trailer. The tunnel remained closed for several hours on Saturday afternoon and night in order to ensure nobody else was exposed to asbestos.

Exposure to asbestos is a serious health concern as it can result in people contracting asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung caner and mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma in Australia is a problem that state and federal governments deal with. Unfortunately, there have been many people who develop asbestos related conditions in Queensland such as mesothelioma in Queensland.

In 2010 the state government of Western Australia conducted an audit which revealed that 45 percent of homes were contaminated with asbestos. To date, although the proportion has decreased to about 40 percent, there are still 740 State houses that need urgent attention. These houses were deemed “high priority” in the 2010 audit.

The Asbestos Diseases Society president has expressed his frustration regarding this situation, and has claimed that the number of houses that still contain asbestos is “unacceptable”. Shadow housing minister Fran Logan concurs and further adds that all houses on the high priority list should be asbestos free by now.

The Asbestos Disease Society is extremely concerned about the children’s safety. Once inhaled, asbestos can lead to deadly diseases such as mesothelioma or lung cancer.

Some have argued that the West Australian Government is attempting to downplay the risk that asbestos poses. Steve Parry, the Department of Housing service delivery general manager, has stated that as long as the asbestos remains undisturbed, there is no real threat to the public. Although Parry acknowledges that the asbestos needs to be removed, he stands firm in his belief that it does not constitute an emergency.

In West Australia, many cases of asbestos related diseases have occurred in the past. Asbestos related compensation in Western Australia has seen an increase in the number of claims being brought by Australians suffering asbestos conditions such as mesothelioma.