Continuing our series on Asbestos and using data provided by Asbestos Awareness Australia, we look at the timeline from 1880’s onward.
The asbestos crisis in Australia is far from over, and the ongoing risks and harms are poorly documented and comprehended. A summary of the asbestos timeline is necessary to understand the current settings and to set the scene for evaluation of measures and policy options to minimise future fatalities from asbestos-related diseases.
As Brophy wrote: “All you really need to know about the root causes, the cover-ups, and the human impact of occupational cancer you can learn from the example of asbestos. It also tells you everything you need to know about the reality of our economic system, what it values and what it fails to protect. It teaches about the collusion between government and industry. It addresses the issue of so-called “junk science” and how the powers-that-be control information and public health policy. It reveals the hidden injuries of class… and it drives home the old axiom of working-class history- that everything you get in this society you must fight for“
This is the full report which is available to download.
These are the prior posts in the series:
