68 will die in 12 months
ASBESTOS remains Queensland’s No.1 dust killer, with another 113 workers diagnosed with terminal mesothelioma cancer or asbestosis in the past financial year.
Tragically, 68 have been given the death sentence of mesothelioma and are expected to live only one year after being diagnosed.
The Notifiable Dust Lung Diseases (NDLD) Register annual report also reveals asbestos is to blame for nearly half (47 per cent) of all new known dust-lung diseases.
However, Queensland Health said the number was likely much higher because not all cases were reported to the register in the year they’re diagnosed.
The Asbestosis and Mesothelioma Association of Australia (AMAA) warns Gold Coasters to think twice about asbestos when renovating or undertaking DIY work.
Tweed Heads-based Kimberley Crawford is a volunteer board member for the AMAA, and said asbestos was still present in millions of homes, and public and commercial buildings.
“In homes built before 1990, asbestos can still be found anywhere. This affects one-in-three homes nationwide,” she said.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, the rate of DIY renovations and home improvements has increased, and so too has the risk of exposure to asbestos.
“Sadly, every year in Australia, an estimated 4000 people die from asbestos-related diseases because of past exposure to asbestos – that’s triple the road toll.
“This is why we are asking everyone to stay safe, by taking these simple steps.
“Firstly, to get in the know by finding out where asbestos can be. Second, to take it slow and not disturb or damage asbestos. And, at any point during home improvements, to get a pro.”
Ms Crawford said there was no known safe level of exposure to asbestos, and if asbestos needed to be removed, a licensed removalist should be employed.
“It doesn’t matter how small the job is, people are dying because they simply washed asbestos-riddled clothes some 40 years ago.
“Asbestos can still be found in many places, including external and internal walls, bathrooms, toilets and laundries, kitchens, roofs, fences, and garages. Once asbestos fibres are disturbed they become airborne and can then be inhaled or ingested.”
The Commonwealth Government’s Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency recently partnered with SEC Newgate Australia to conduct an online survey with home improvers to evaluate asbestos knowledge, attitudes and behaviours.
It found that 67 per cent of
Australians are home improvers and 38 per cent have worked on a property (built before 1990) with asbestos risk.
The study found 15 per cent of people believed they did not need training or specialist knowledge to deal with asbestos, and 20 per cent who had found asbestos admitted to illegally disposing of it, commonly in their household wheelie bin.
Combined with other risks, those surveyed saw asbestos as a less likely but more serious risk and only 6 per cent mentioned asbestos exposure as risk without being prompted.