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As November comes to an end, so too does Australia’s Asbestos Awareness Month. Australians across the country have been participating in an Asbestos Awareness campaign, overseen by a combination of government agencies and research and preventative initiatives, throughout the month of November.
More than 30,000 Australians have lost their lives to asbestos-related diseases, with another 700 deaths occurring each year, according to a Mercury news article. Australia has one of the highest incident rates of asbestos as it was once one of the highest consumers of the mineral per capita.
In hopes of reducing the number of those affected, government entities like the Asbestos Education Committee, SafeWork NSW and the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency have been encouraging citizens to not play “renovation roulette” by “getting to kNOw asbestos this NOvember.”
The awareness campaign, via asbestosawareness.com.au, advises that one in three Australian homes contains asbestos, a mineral linked to the development of mesothelioma, a fatal cancer developed from inhaling or ingesting the carcinogen. Mesothelioma may affect the lining of the lungs, absdeomen, or, rarely, the heart. Though safe when not disturbed, asbestos is dangerous if tampered with, as normally is the case when renovating a home built before 1987 in the country.
Throughout the campaign, Australians were encouraged to hold Blue Lamington Drives, featuring blue versions of the Australian lamington cake, to raise awareness and funds for the Asbestos Disease Research Institute.
“With almost every home built or renovated before the mid-1980s likely to contain asbestos in one form or another, the importance of raising awareness of the dangers of releasing asbestos fibers into the air when renovating or maintaining homes cannot be overstated,” according to the Blue Lamington Drive website. “DIY renovations are increasing so before commencing any home maintenance or renovation work, homeowners and renovators must learn about where they might find asbestos in the home and how best to manage it so they can protect themselves and their families from asbestos fibers.”
Sources:
Mercury
Blue Lamington Drive
Asbestos Awareness
Asbestos Disease Research Institute
SOURCE: myMeso › November marks Australian Asbestos Awareness Month © 2008-2018 myMeso.org This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact web@beasleyallen.com so we can take legal action immediately.
