Asbestos News

Residents of a suburb of Perth in the state of Western Australia recently voiced their concerns about asbestos at a nearby industrial site.

Some in Wattleup said they were upset that the government has not done more to clean up the site where a demolition company used to process building material waste, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Exposure to asbestos can have serious consequences as the inhalation of the mineral fibers can cause lung cancer, asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer that attacks the thin membrane that lines the abdomen, chest and many of the body's internal organs.

Local politician Fran Logan said that many residents are afraid that they have been exposed to asbestos.

"Residents immediately adjacent to the site have lived in homes covered by large volumes of dust from the illegal crushing plant for years and now face an uncertain future after significant levels of asbestos fibers were detected in the dust," he told the news source.

One resident summed up his feelings about living near the site succinctly for the news source.

"The prospect is a shortened life, mesothelioma and death," Peter Rokich told the news provider.