Asbestos in Australia was phased out starting in 1989, and banned entirely in 2004. Nowadays, asbestos cannot be used or imported into Australia, or even recycled. At one time, asbestos was mined extensively in Australia, but all asbestos mining was halted in 1983. Mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused diseases are quite common in Australia, the country estimated to have the highest per capita rate of mesothelioma in the world.

In Homes, On the Job

About one-third of the homes built or renovated in Australia between 1945 and 1980 contain asbestos materials. These years saw the greatest use of asbestos in construction in Australia, and the resulting cases of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis are now numbering in the thousands. Hundreds of individuals in Australia are engaged in lawsuits against the mining companies, asbestos manufacturers, and others who are responsible for their illnesses.

A Surge in Mesothelioma Cases

A recent surge in the number of mesothelioma cases is accounted for by the workers who did renovations of homes in the 1950s through 1970s. Because mesothelioma usually takes decades to develop after the initial asbestos exposure, the individuals who inhaled toxic levels of asbestos during those years may only now be experiencing the symptoms of the disease.

The Wittenoom Gorge Asbestos Mine

A famous example of the tragedy of asbestos exposure in Australia is the town of Wittenoom in northwestern Australia. As a mining town of about 20,000 people at its peak, Wittenoom was near the asbestos mine in Wittenoom Gorge. Many thousands of tons of asbestos were removed from the mine from 1950 until the early 1960s.

More than 1,000 Wittenoom residents and workers have already died from asbestos diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and severe asbestosis. Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council reported that the final death toll for such diseases among Wittenoom residents will eventually be over 2,000.

Too Little, Too Late

Wittenoom is now a ghost town. The government of Australia offered relocation assistance to all Wittenoom residents, and eventually discontinued electrical power to the town and removed its name from official maps. However, government efforts are too little and too late to help the individuals and families whose lives have been ruined by asbestos.

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