November is Asbestos Awareness Month and Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
National Asbestos Awareness Week is held on the last week of November every year. Memorial ceremonies are held around the country on the last Friday of the month to remember the many lives lost through asbestos related disease.
Asbestos is still found in our community. One in three houses in Australia contains asbestos, typically those built between the 1950’s and 1980’s - the ones we see being knocked down in the suburbs to make way for new housing. It is vital for builders, tradies and home handypersons to be aware that asbestos is still a danger.
Every year more than 4000 Australians die from asbestos-related disease, with over 700 of those deaths being from mesothelioma. These statistics do not include deaths from asbestosis as it is not a notifiable disease.
