Asbestos News

The Australian state of Tasmania recently announced that it would give more than $180,000 in funding for asbestos education and some of that money will go towards do-it-yourself kits that individuals can use to remove the carcinogenic material.

Lisa Singh, chief executive officer of Asbestos Free Tasmania, said that the kits would give businesses and private individuals a chance to deal with asbestos without having to spend a large amount of money on a professional, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She said that individuals can safely remove up to 10 square meters of asbestos themselves.

Included in the kit is a free entry pass to disposal sites that are trained to handle asbestos-containing materials, something that the government hopes will discourage illegal dumping of the carcinogenic mineral.

However, some are concerned that even with the pass, removed asbestos will be illegally dumped in tips, an Australian term for dumps.

"We've seen lots of evidence that [asbestos] gets disposed of in tips, in our green wheelie bins, you know, in our national parks and places like that," Kevin Harkins of Unions Tasmania told the news source.