Asbestos News
New Zealand officials express concern over asbestos-tainted earthquake waste
Officials in New Zealand are concerned that the dumping of asbestos-containing earthquake rubble has become a widespread problem.According to The Press, 24 truckloads of asbestos waste were dumped at a landfill in Christchurch. Department of Labour inspector Steve Moran told the news he was "extremely concerned" that the incident was indicative of a wide-scale problem.
A report about the Christchurch incident found that the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority did not identify the asbestos before it was dumped. The report found that this likely occurred in part because of inexperienced workers who were not properly trained to identify and deal with asbestos.
The proper disposal of asbestos is essential as doing it incorrectly can allow for the deadly mineral fibers to become airborne. The inhalation of these fibers has been proven to cause asbestosis, malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer for nearly five decades.
Australia's capital has recently been dealing with a great deal of improperly dumped asbestos as an area the size of a large sports field was found to be covered in soil that contained the naturally occurring carcinogen.
10/18/11
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