Well known Australian asbestos activist Bernie Banton announced on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that attacks the lining surrounding the abdomen. Banton, a former James Hardie Industries employee (he worked at a Hardie insulation plant from 1968-1974), had been suffering from asbestoses and asbestos-related pleural disease since 1999. At that time he received compensation for his injuries in an undisclosed amount, but did not agree to a full and final settlement.

In 2004 Banton became publicly involved in the successful fight to set aside additional compensation for future asbestos claimants when it became known that the funding set aside by building materials giant James Hardie was insufficient and would be depleted in three years' time. Recently, Banton has been active in the fight to have the mesothelima drug Alimta listed on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), which would make it more accessible to those who need it. Banton has pledged to keep on fighting, only now it's personal. On Monday he filed a compensation claim with Australia's Dust Diseases Tribunal and may end up benefiting from the new fund he fought to have set up. "I will fight [James Hardie] to my dying breath to ensure my family will be OK once I am gone," Banton said in a statement. "I also intend to fight pretty hard to live!"

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