Illawarra wharfies are angered after asbestos was discovered in a soil shipment which they were handling from a Barangaroo construction site in Sydney to Port Kembla. The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has responded by prohibiting developer Land Lease to go ahead with the 600,000 tone shipment of soil after the asbestos was found.

However this has not settled down angry dock workers who had been handling the contaminated soil for a week.

A ban by unions has now be placed on receiving any more shipments from the Barangaroo construction site and conducting work on the material until they are completely sure there is no more health risks.
Workers who handled the shipment have spoken out about their fear over the health risks associated with exposure to asbestos, not just for themselves but for their families.

Unfortunately, even small amounts of asbestos exposure can result in the development of malignant mesothelioma, the asbestos related cancer. These New South Wales workers may have had friends or relatives who have suffered asbestos conditions in the past which would add to their concern. Many mesothelioma compensation claims in NSW have occurred since the establishment of the Dust Diseases Tribunal of NSW in 1989. Such asbestos compensation claims in NSW have highlighted the number of those in New South Wales who are diagnosed with asbestos conditions.

The recall continues for China’s biggest domestic car manufacturer and exporter Cherry Auto who only two weeks ago recalled some 23,000 cars from Australia due to the discovery of asbestos in some models.

The company has now announced they will be recalling another 18,875 vehicles from other countries including Brazil, Argentina and Singapore for the same reasons. The discovery of asbestos in these models came after a self-imposing examination was undertaken as a result of the findings in Australia.

It has been confirmed by Jin Yibo spokesman of Cherry Auto that the gaskets in these vehicles that are being recalled contained small amounts of asbestos. The presence of asbestos in these models violates national asbestos bans which are in place in 55 countries and bans in countries such as Australia and Brazil which prohibit asbestos in automobiles.

These bans are an indicator of the dangers which are associated with asbestos. Exposure to asbestos is responsible for causing asbestosis and the cancer mesothelioma, hence why the recall of these models is so vital.

In Australia, there have been multiple asbestos compensation claims made against manufactures of asbestos brake linings in respect to Australians suffering asbestos conditions such as mesothelioma and asbestosis.

The Ross Divett foundation has held their last fund-raising event at the Hotel Realm in Canberra as a celebration of 10 years of generosity. Ross Divett, who the foundation was established in honour of, passed away in 2001 from the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma.

His wife and chairwomen of this asbestos foundation is hoping their last donation makes a huge difference to those suffering from mesothelioma. The foundation will be donating their last funds to the University of Western Australia which will go toward the work undertaken by a young researcher in the National Asbestos Diseases Area.

This work will be guided by Professor Bruce Robinson who is the co-leader of the team who discovered a blood test for mesothelioma and performed Australia’s first ever cancer gene therapy trial. His expertise and friendship with Ross Divett made his team the perfect choice to receive the funds.

Mesothelioma is a heartbreaking disease which has claimed the lives of so many people around the world; this has been felt heavily within Australia as we have one of highest rates of asbestos related cancer deaths. Therefore any funding to assist research in the area of asbestos and mesothelioma are greatly needed and appreciated when received. Especially as experts predict that the number of mesothelioma cases is set to rise, hopefully this research will go toward mesothelioma treatment in Australia.

Asbestos compensation claims in Australia are on the rise, and ironically so are incidents of illegal asbestos dumping in South Australia.

The dumping of waste is an illegal activity, but the dumping of asbestos is even worse, as asbestos is a known carcinogen which can cause asbestos related conditions such as asbestosis and mesothelioma.

The ABC has reported that the illegal dumping of asbestos and other materials is becoming a significant concern in regional areas of South Australia, a claim backed up by the Environmental Protection Authority of South Australia (EPA).

South Australia’s EPA has said that the issue of illegal dumping was recently brought to light after they were called to clean up a hydrocarbon spill near Port Pirie, but that this case was only one of a number of cases where dangerous materials are being illegally abandoned.

Offenders in these cases are not often brought to justice, and as such, South Australia’s EPA urges people to report illegal dumping, particularly of asbestos, in order to stop people from dumping.

South Australia’s EPA says that calls to the unit are increasing, and that most of them are regarding asbestos. As such it is important to address the issue in order to prevent the public from being exposed to the abandoned asbestos and developing asbestos related diseases such as malignant pleural mesothelioma.

South Australia has one of the highest incidences of mesothelioma in the world per capital.