Asbestos News
Workers clean up asbestos dumped years ago in Australia
Workers in the Northern Territory of Australia recently began cleaning up asbestos that had been illegally dumped years ago.The Northern Territory government said that workers, who have donned protective suits and breathing apparatuses, are digging up the ground to find the asbestos that was dumped long ago, reports the NT News.
Land Department spokesman Martin Bennett said that the asbestos was non-friable, meaning that it cannot be pulverized by hand pressure. While this is safer than friable asbestos, it still holds many risks because if any asbestos fibers are released and inhaled they can cause a serious illness such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis or lung cancer.
Bennett told the news source that once the asbestos removal is complete a specialist would be brought in to ensure that no lingering health threat remained.
"When the removal is complete, a specialist environmental management consultant will survey the area in line with stringent environmental standards," he told the news source.
The news provider reports that it is expected that the cleaning up of the illegally dumped asbestos would be completed by the end of June.
6/28/11
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