Asbestos News
Australian parents concerned over asbestos incident at school
Parents at a school in the Australian state of Queensland are reportedly upset at the handling of asbestos.At a recent forum, Education Queensland (EQ) officials tried to quell fears that began after asbestos was removed from a library at Warwick West State School as part of a renovation project, according to the Warwick Daily News.
A local municipal authority told the news source that a contractor had been fined for improperly disposing of the carcinogenic material, which reportedly sparked the parents' concerns.
Department of Education and Training asbestos adviser Dr. Keith Adam said at the forum that the risk posed to students was small, comparing it to walking near someone smoking a cigarette.
However, some parents disagreed with Adam's assessment of the risk. Some parents have even held their children out of school because of asbestos fears.
"How dare they take our children's lives into their hands," said one mother at the forum, reports the news source.
Asbestos exposure can cause a number of serious illnesses such as asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma.
2/1/11
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