Mesothelioma

Unions all across the country are standing up to the Federal Government and requesting that they try to eliminate asbestos from any workplace or home. Sharon Burrow – president of the ACTU – stated during an interview that, “This is an urgent request. You’ve got Australia with the highest rate of mesothelioma deaths anywhere in the world,” Ms Burrow told The Age.

The Government is likely to be receptive to the union call. Vigorous asbestos campaigner Greg Combet is now a parliamentary secretary. There was no immediate response from the Government. Asbestos was banned in 2004, but researchers expect the number of Australians dying from asbestos-related illnesses to peak in another decade. Even limited exposure to asbestos can cause lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural plaques and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is expected to kill 30,000 Australians in the first half of the century.

“While there is a ban on it, clearly it still lives amongst us,” Ms Burrow said. She said there needed to be a national plan to remove asbestos from homes and workplaces and called for consistent regulation on compensation. Construction unions have been critical of the Victorian system. While much of the attention on asbestos illnesses has been on James Hardie employees and miners, home renovators and carpenters are also at high risk.

British cancer researcher Julian Peto said last week that one in 10 retired Australian carpenters would die of asbestos-related cancers, mirroring results of a study of British carpenters born before 1950. He said Australia and Britain had the highest rates of mesothelioma mortality in the world. A 2007 Lancet study found a clear link between past asbestos use and illness. In Australia, asbestos was abundant and was used in about a third of homes built before 1987. Ms Burrow said: “As these buildings get older, the deterioration will become even more prevalent. That, of course, increases the risk for Australians, whether they are handling asbestos or not.”

The ACTU push coincides with today’s International Workers’ Memorial Day, which includes the launch of a national and international campaign for “zero” occupational cancers. Asbestos was the biggest cause of workplace cancer, Ms Burrow said. The day will focus on all forms of workplace deaths. Data this year revealed there had been a 10% increase in national workplace deaths in the past five years. In Victoria, there have been four deaths in the past month, including a linesman electrocuted in Mornington while restoring power after high winds.