Asbestos Litigation

A former pre-school teacher aide from Australia who suffers from malignant mesothelioma is seeking compensation after she allegedly worked in a classroom that was being renovated during the 1980s, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

According to the news provider, the woman, who does not wish to be named, is in her early 60s and worked at Shailer Park State Pre-School in southern Brisbane while it underwent renovations in 1983.

An asbestos attorney for the former teacher aide told the news source that Queensland government documents confirmed the presence of asbestos inside the original building, which was constructed in 1982.

"Education facilities in Shailer Park were at a premium in the early 1980s and just a year after the original preschool was built, it needed to double its size to meet demand," the asbestos lawyer said. "Normal classes were conducted while the preschool extensions were under construction and everyone who was at the site during the building works in early to mid-1983 would have been exposed to the asbestos dust."

In addition to malignant mesothelioma, asbestos exposure has been proven to cause asbestosis and lung cancer.