Asbestos News
Australian workers may have been exposed to asbestos at construction site
An Australian union says that as many as 200 workers may have been exposed to asbestos at a construction site in New South Wales.The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) told the Australian Associated Press that the substance was found in recycled concrete at the site in Newcastle. The work has been shut down as a precaution.
Exposure to asbestos, even if it is the slightest amount, can have deadly consequences as the inhalation of the naturally occurring mineral fibers can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer.
"When it comes to asbestos there is no safe level of exposure, and we'll be making sure the risk to workers is completely eliminated," union organizer Daniel Wallace stated. "The material has been on site for three months, so there are real concerns about the level of exposure workers have faced during this time through airborne dust."
The news source reports that tests are currently being carried out at the site - which is operated by Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group - to determine the precise levels of asbestos.
9/7/11
Related Articles
Roof replacement at Connecticut gym turns up asbestos, Ed Michler, 5/17/12
Australian factory fire prompts asbestos concerns, Ariella Yu, 5/16/12
Asbestos concerns arise at eastern Australian transfer stations, Ed Michler, 5/14/12
'Take-home' asbestos exposure is every bit as serious, http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/asbestos, 5/16/12
Traces of asbestos force closure of Canadian high school, Janet Hartung, 5/10/12
Asbestos exposure causes not just mesothelioma, but also emotional strain, http://icoh.confex.com/icoh/2012/webprogram/Paper7297.html, 5/10/12
Asbestos discovered during construction of North Carolina natural gas complex, Ed Michler, 5/9/12
Walk for asbestos disease-stricken Australian children completed, Janet Hartung, 5/7/12
Korean cases of mesothelioma decline, U.S. cases plateau, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajim.22065/abstract, 5/8/12
University of South Carolina fined for asbestos violations, Janet Hartung, 5/4/12