Asbestos News
Asbestos-containing waste dumped at Australia's Kinglake National Park
Australia's Parks Victoria and the Environmental Protection Agency are teaming up to eliminate the practice of illegal asbestos dumping at parks in the country such as Kinglake National Park, reports the Diamond Valley Leader.According to the news source, head Parks Victoria ranger Enzo Brotto said that there was a "substantial amount" of asbestos found in May, which came after a man was caught throwing waste away near the park in November.
"Asbestos is really harmful to people going past picking up rubbish - there was plastic, glass and other items that [do] not decompose easily so basically you are poisoning the environment," Brotto told the news source.
Kate Gittings, a spokeswoman for the EPA, added that people could be fined $1,200 for illegally dumping asbestos if the case ultimately went to court.
The illegal dumping of asbestos can have serious consequences for those in the area as exposure to the carcinogenic material can cause lung cancer, asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that occurs in the tissues surrounding many of the body's internal organs.
6/21/11
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