Last month, Australians were shocked to discover that asbestos products were used in the construction of two roads at Robertson, NSW, a town 100km southwest of Sydney. The roads were built only four years ago, despite the fact the use of asbestos has been banned in Australia since 2004 due to the causal links between asbestos and diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, a rare cancer.
Last week, however, Australian residents from the NSW town of Wingello had their shock and outraged renewed amid claims that their local council had failed to inform them of the fact that several more roads in the area had been built using the same asbestos materials.
The Australian reported yesterday that an elderly resident living in the NSW town recognized similarities between materials used in the construction of her street and photographs from a news report about the asbestos found in the Robertson streets. It was only after contacting council that it was confirmed that her street was in the middle of an asbestos investigation. But a guarantee of proper asbestos testing was not confirmed until a call was made to the Mayor.
It was reported that residents were concerned for their health, as the road was cracked and the resulting dust blows straight into their homes, meaning that they may be at risk of asbestos exposure.
The council is currently conducting asbestos testing to determine whether the contaminated roads have to be sealed to protect the public from asbestos exposure.
Australia has a very high incidence of mesothelioma on a per capita basis as compared to world standards
