Asbestos News

WorkCover New South Wales, which administers work health and safety in the state, has reportedly dismissed the idea that 400 construction workers were exposed to asbestos during renovations at a museum in Sydney, Australia.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union said that workers came into contact with the asbestos fibers during the $50 million renovation project.

However, John Watson, the acting chief executive officer of WorkCover, told the news source that the union has not voiced its concerns to the workplace safety administrator.

"They've said that they're concerned about the asbestos management of the site," Watson explained. "They haven't said that 400 people have been exposed to asbestos. That would be somewhat of an alarmist declaration, given the nature of the work that's been carried out at the site and the level of controls that we found were in place."

Still, Watson said he would not be surprised if asbestos was found in the museum.

If workers were exposed to the carcinogenic substance without wearing protective gear, they could ultimately develop lung cancer, asbestosis or malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Such illnesses kill approximately 107,000 people around the world each year, according to the World Health Organization.