Asbestos News
Concerns over handling of asbestos arise in Australian town
A work site in Pitt Town, Australia, has reportedly been shut down after concerns were expressed about how asbestos was being handled and transported by contractors.According to the Rouse Hill Times, Australian construction union CFMEU said that it received a tip about the potential safety breaches at the site by Menai Civic Contractors.
Dave Curtain, a spokesman for the construction union, told the news source that the contractor allegedly removed asbestos-containing pipes from the work site, but did not provide a decontamination area for workers.
"Workers who had also been working on the site, wearing potentially contaminated boots and clothing, bought and ate lunch in the town shops and cafes," Curtain explained.
Barry Robertson, president of the Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia, added that residents had previously voiced concerns about the work going on at the site.
Asbestos-related illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer can often result when workers are exposed to the carcinogenic material on the job. Many times, the symptoms of these diseases do not appear for decades after initial exposure.
8/19/11
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