Asbestos News

Officials from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland recently ordered workers to stop working on a building in north Queensland, Australia, due to the potential discovery of asbestos.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, samples from the site - which is owned by the NgoonbiHousing Cooperative Society - are currently being tested for the carcinogenic material.

A spokeswoman for Workplace Health and Safety Queensland told the news provider that inspectors issued a stop-work order at the site. This order will reportedly prevent any further renovation or construction work until the asbestos testing is completed and the proper steps are taken to prevent potential exposure to the substance.

These precautions are crucial as the inhalation of asbestos fibers has been proven to cause lung cancer, asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Australia reportedly has the highest incidence rate of mesothelioma in the world.

An official with the Cooperative Society told the media outlet that construction trainees had been at the site working for approximately two weeks when the potential asbestos discovery was made.