Asbestos awareness down under

by Laurie Kazan-Allen

November is asbestos awareness month in Australia. Personal initiatives taking place this month – from blue lamington drives to afternoon teas – are complimented by more formal activities such as public outreach projects on the east coast spearheaded by Betty, the Asbestos Bus,¹ ecumenical services on the west coast²and various activities by asbestos victims, patients, campaigners, local authorities, national agencies and charities in between.³

With the world’s only Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency, Australia is at the cutting edge of efforts to deal with the industrial and environmental legacy of asbestos use. In November 2014, the Agency held its first international asbestos conference; this month, the second such event will take place in Brisbane.⁴ Despite all that is being done, however, asbestos exposures continue to occur on an almost daily basis due to illegal imports of contaminated products and/or lack of compliance with asbestos regulations.⁵ Throughout the country, the malevolent consequences of toxic exposures continue to wreak havoc on citizens and communities alike. Read more

Courtesy: IBAS