Asbestos in Australia
Australia has long been one of the countries most affected by mesothelioma and other forms of lung cancer following its checkered history with asbestos mining and production during the twentieth century.
Call us at (800) 278-8675 to speak with a mesothelioma paralegal
James Hardie industries, a building materials company that had many of its production operations based in Australia until 2001 when it relocated as part of a brand re-launch, manufactured a number of building and brake products as well as other asbestos products as early as the 1920s and 1930s, respectively.
Despite warnings about the dangers of asbestos exposure in the 1960s that led to their ceasing the use of blue asbestos - which was uncovered to be even more harmful than white asbestos that remained in use – the company’s insulation products were not made completely asbestos free until 1973.
Similarly, James Hardie’s building products were not made asbestos free until 1983 while its pipe and brake products were not rid of the fibers until 1986. According to the Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia, the Inspector of Factories and Shops in Western Australia had reported on the effects of asbestos fibers in James Hardie workers as early as 1935.
In addition to the workers exposed to asbestos through James Hardie and other companies that used asbestos in their products, and the use throughout the country of other products containing asbestos, mesothelioma cases have been on the rise in recent years. A recently released report found there were 551 deaths attributed to the illness in 2007, higher than the figure reported in 1997, and added that mesothelioma diagnoses would likely not peak until after 2010.
Following the ban on the usage of blue and brown asbestos (or amosite) in the 1980s, the use of white asbestos in new products was formally banned in Australia on December 31, 2003, according to the Workers Health Centre.