The Australian government has certain guidelines, regulations, and policies in place to deal with different sources of asbestos and the effects of mining it. However, these have ignored naturally occurring asbestos sources for their potential for exposure. Considering instances of asbestos occurring in soils and rocks, this comes as a bit shocking.
History of Asbestos
Asbestos was first imported to Australia in 1903 from Poisy, France. 13 years later, Australia got its first asbestos factory, opened by Wunderlich Limited on the Parramatta river in Cabarita, NSW. And in early 1917, James Hardie started manufacturing products made of asbestos.
Reality
As per records, the rise of diseases caused by asbestos exposure had been documented with its impact on families from Victoria and Melbourne. And statistics matched these numbers to some of the world’s worst epidemic proportions. The number of deaths caused by asbestos exposure is higher than any other individual work-related death cause in Australia.
Over 2600 deaths were recorded in 2008 alone due to past asbestos inhalation. Since a major portion of the asbestos application was with the construction industry, some leading manufacturers have been known to play a key role in the rise of deaths caused by asbestos.
Unsafe work practices
Experts referred to the period as Australia’s greatest industrial disaster due to various unsafe practices at workplaces. Hundreds of workers, tourists, and visitors in Victoria and Melbourne got exposed to the blue asbestos lethal levels that were around a thousand times more than normal.
Since asbestos is highly dangerous, you should contact professionals for dealing with asbestos in Newcastle if you suspect its presence at your place.