Asbestos News

The demolition of a boatshed in Church Point, Australia, has left one nearby resident concerned about potentially inhaling asbestos dust, the Manly Daily reports.

According to the news source, warning letters from the local Pittwater Council were sent out to residents about the demolition of Bennett's Boatshed and the removal of asbestos-containing materials. However, Collyn Rivers, who lives across from the demolition site, told the news source that he witnessed workers taking few precautions when it came to handling the asbestos.

"To my horror, they just smashed (the shed) apart and I didn’t see them take any precautions," he said. "I would have expected some occupational work and safety measures. They just wrapped some in plastic before putting it in the back of a truck."

Rivers' concerns likely stem from the fact that the inhalation of asbestos has been proven to cause a range of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer that attacks the tissues surrounding a majority of the body's internal organs. Often, the symptoms of these diseases may not manifest until decades after initial exposure to the carcinogenic substance.