Another sad story involving Asbestos exposure

Here at the Ipswich based Area 51 Asbestos, we have heard countless stories of the heartache and grief involving families who have been exposed to asbestos. We feel that it is good to keep an ear to the ground with stories like these, so that we may use other people’s experiences to educate our customers on the dangers of the horrible substance. In today’s blog post we will take a close look at an article recently published by the team at the University of Western Australia, and share the story of why one town will always be remembered for the wrong reasons.

Wittenoom

This story begins in the northern parts of Western Australia, in a tiny town called Wittenoom. Between the years of 1943 and 1966, Wittenoom was renowned as being a thriving mining town. While the locals were busy and living a happy life in rural Australia, they had no idea that what they were mining was so deadly. They were mining blue asbestos.

Of course now we know the dangers of Asbestos, but back in those times it was an extremely common and valuable material. Where else would you expect to find a material that was light, malleable and essentially fireproof? With the demand for the material so high, workers would slave away on the mines with no regard of the dangers involved in the material. They would build their town with the material, even using crushed leftovers as makeshift sandpits for their children.

Once the dangers of Asbestos began to surface in the mid 60’s, it was far too late – the damage had been done. Those who lived in the area began to show signs of cancers at an increasingly alarming rate, with absolutely nothing they could do to reverse the damage that had already been done.

It is such a sad story, but we must use it as a lesson to ourselves and to others. The best defense against asbestos is to educate others of its dangers, and to get it safely removed by a professional. If you believe that you may have any issues with asbestos in your home or office in Ipswich or greater Brisbane, please don’t hesitate to contact our team today on 1300 273 251.