Australia has proven its position as the leading country in the global push to ban asbestos.

Earlier this month, Tasmanian Senator and Lisa Singh and co-convenor of the Parliamentary Group on Asbestos Related Disease attended a conference held by the National Association for Defending Victims of Asbestos (ANDEVA).

The conference was held in Paris, France, and included a rally for the International Day for Victims of Asbestos on the 12th and 13th of October.

According to the Australian CFMEU, the conference and rally was attended by over 5,000 people, including workers, unions, victims, politicians, medical professionals and anti-asbestos advocates from more than 20 countries from six continents, including Australia.

Australia confirmed its position as a leader on anti-asbestos policy, especially after introducing the Australian Government’s introduction of the Asbestos Management Review, which was introduced to address the fact that Australia currently has one of the highest incidences of mesothelioma, an asbestos related cancer, worldwide.

This is the case despite the official ban of asbestos use Australia-wide in 2004, because Australia was the highest user of asbestos per capita between around 1950 and 1980.

As such, many Australian states including NSW, Victoria and South Australia have introduced legislation to assist those suffering asbestos conditions pursue an asbestos compensation claim, such as a mesothelioma compensation claims in Australia.

400 Australians, including asbestos experts, sufferers of asbestos related diseases, and members of the public are gathered today, 26 October 2012, at an asbestos symposium in Brisbane, Queensland.

The asbestos symposium aims to raise awareness about the fact that there are thousands of tonnes of asbestos in Australia, and also inform the public of the risks associated with asbestos handling.

Information about new treatments for asbestos diseases, including mesothelioma treatment, will be available for sufferers of asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and the cancer mesothelioma.

The symposium was held because of the staggering number of asbestos victims in Brisbane, with over 1,000 Australians in Brisbane known to suffer from asbestos related diseases.

Experts estimate that the amount of unknown victims could be double this number due to the long latency period between asbestos exposure and the manifestation of an asbestos related disease. That is, because asbestos related diseases like asbestosis and mesothelioma take decades to develop, Australians who were exposed to asbestos in the past might still not have been diagnosed with an asbestos related disease yet.

The conference especially aims to raise asbestos awareness for home renovators, as it is important to check your house for asbestos materials before you start renovating to eliminate the risk of releasing and inhaling toxic asbestos fibres. Since asbestos materials were freely available in Australia up until 1978, all suburbs are at risk of containing houses with asbestos, and as such it is essential to contact a qualified asbestos removalist before commencing renovations.

The Spotswood fire crew in Victoria will be moved to Newport due to asbestos being disturbed during renovations at the Spotswood fire station. Asbestos-based tiles were disturbed when old carpet was being pulled up as part of the improvements being worked on.

An officer from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade said he knew about these asbestos-based tiles at the station but assumed they were of no risk if undisturbed.

With the safety and health of both the community and MFB firefighters as their number one priority, the MFB has plans to have the situation resolved and have the Spotswood station back in action by next week.

Precautions such as the relocation of these firefighters is important when dealing with asbestos as exposure to asbestos poses serious risks to a person’s health.

A person can develop asbestos related condition from exposure to asbestos. Such conditions include asbestosis, asbestos related pleural disease and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a major problem for Australia in that it claims many lives each year and the number of people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma is only expected to grow. Thus precautions like that taken by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in situations where there is a chance of asbestos exposure is critical in an attempt to reduce these health risks and the number of people affected by them.

Unfortunately, in the past firefighters have developed asbestos conditions, often following their service which involved attending fires at premises which contained asbestos products. Law claims for mesothelioma in Australia have been made by some of these firefighters.

An Australian asbestos removalist from Bundaberg in Queensland has told Australians that one in ten houses in the Queensland town contains asbestos.

The staggering asbestos numbers are the result of Australia’s old building habits. Australia used to be the highest user of asbestos per capita between around 1950 and 1980. As such, asbestos removalist Charlie Walker has warned that houses built before 1985 most likely contain asbestos, even though the use of asbestos was officially banned Australia-wide in 2004.

This is a concern, as asbestos, if disturbed, can release extremely toxic asbestos fibres which if inhaled can cause asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. As such it is essential that renovators of older homes seek advice from qualified asbestos removalists before they undertake renovations to avoid the risk of asbestos exposure.

Because of the long latency period between asbestos exposure and the manifestation of an asbestos related disease, Australia has the one of the highest occurrence of mesothelioma worldwide.

As such, many Australian states including NSW, Victoria and South Australia have introduced legislation to assist those suffering asbestos conditions pursue an asbestos compensation claim, such as a mesothelioma compensation claim, in Australia. Asbestos compensation claims in Australia have occurred following exposure during home renovation. Mesothelioma legal claims in Australia have also be brought in circumstances where the Australian diagnosed with the condition of mesothelioma was exposed to asbestos during home renovation works.