Community Campaigns
Research reveals the dark history of asbestos in Australia
A recent paper released by Asbestos Awareness Australia has shown in detail the history of an industry that had for years hidden the negative health effects of asbestos.
The History of Asbestos in Australia was recently published to highlight the workings of the asbestos industry through the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. It details the health and legal knowledge that were known or should have been known around the use of asbestos-related products dating back to the 1880s.
The paper includes summaries of damning asbestos-related legal cases and medical research, including the effects of asbestos on both workers and consumers.
Asbestos Awareness Australia director Gillian North said that they released the paper to encourage “debate on asbestos issues and reforms that are barely debated”.
“Our plan is to increase community awareness of the risks and deadliness of legacy asbestos, and to ultimately save lives”.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen that has been linked to diseases including asbestosis, mesothelioma and various lung cancers.
You can watch a summary of Asbestos Awareness Australia’s findings below.