Asbestos News
Closed Australian plant posed 'negligible' asbestos risk to workers
Authorities who shut down an Australian plasterboard distributor because of asbestos concerns now say that the risk to workers at the facility is negligible.The Boral Plasterboard Trade Centre on Barrier Street in the Australia Capital Territory was closed by WorkSafe ACT - the country's workplace safety agency - after dust monitoring came back positive for levels of asbestos, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Work Safety Commissioner Mark McCabe told the news source that while there might not have been much risk posed to workers by the presence of the substance, an abundance of caution still needs to be taken in regards to the deadly material.
"I spoke myself to the experts who have given us this report and their comment to me was the risk of exposure is negligible however the consequences of that kind of exposure [are] high," he said.
Exposure to asbestos has been proven for nearly 50 years to cause a range of killer diseases including malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
In part due to these serious risks, Boral has offered to give free medical screenings to workers.
9/13/11
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