Asbestos Deaths Stalk DIY workers
A national addiction to home renovation has been blamed for a surge in cases of the killer asbestos-caused disease mesothelioma. Renovators are being warned that even small jobs can be fatal as new figures in Victoria show mesothelioma cases have more than quadrupled since 1982.
Queensland Health figures show the number of terminal asbestos cases has risen from 49 in 1993 to 73 in 1998 – a terrifying 50 per cent increase in just five years.
Medical experts and asbestos support groups warn that the situation will get worse.
Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia president Barry Robson said the disease was once limited to people exposed to asbestos at work, such as wharfies and tradespeople, and their families.
But the new figures reflected a third group – those exposed to asbestos fibres during home renovations up to 30 years ago, he said.
Renovators could account for up to 25 per cent of mesothelioma cases with the number tipped to rise in the near future because of the time-lag of at least 15 years between exposure to asbestos and the onset of mesothelioma.
"We were always worried about the third wave – this is the third wave, it's the start of it," Mr Robson said.
"It's going to keep increasing because of the home renovations."
Mr Robson said home renovation TV shows were not doing enough to warn viewers of the hazards.
Queensland Asbestos Related Support Society president Shirley White said something had to be done to stop "people unknowingly exposing themselves to a substance which can cause creeping cancer".
Mrs White, 69, likened the disease to a jellyfish with tentacles in the chest and lungs. "One fibre and around 30 years is all it takes," she said.
"It's undetectable, but when it activates many sufferers find they have only six weeks to live."
Her husband Reg, 66, a former wharfie, has asbestos-related cancer.
She said many renovators were unaware the deadly substance was extremely common – found in hair-dryers, ceilings, ovens, linoleum tiles, downpipes and fences.
One in three homes built before 1987 contains the fibres.
The support society has a register of 584 sufferers but that figure is expected to swell, with experts estimating 40,000 cases of mesothelioma will emerge in the next 35 years.
