Asbestos News

A leading asbestos researcher wants to establish a register of New South Wales, Australia, landfill sites that contain asbestos, in an effort to counter a third wave of the disease-causing material, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Asbestos diseases research institute director at the Bernie Banton Center, Nico van Zandwijk, said he fears that future generations will be exposed to the material in the environment, including from contaminated landfill material that is unearthed.

The researcher's call for action comes on the heels of the New South Wales Ombudsman's "large and wide-ranging investigation" into the handling of asbestos, the news source said. The investigation stemmed from complaints regarding the management of the dangerous material, and a full report is expected before Christmas.

Professor van Zandwijk says environmental exposure is becoming crucial in the asbestos debate, according to the news provider.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 107,000 people die each year as a result of asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, which is a rare cancer of the tissues surrounding most of the body's internal organs.