Risks
People with asbestos material in their housing are at risk of contracting an asbestos-related disease. These diseases include:
Asbestosis. Fibres lodge in the lungs, causing a scar which continues to grow even though there may be no further exposure to asbestos. The scars don't allow oxygen to pass into the blood, so breathing is difficult. Eventually asbestosis can lead to painful death 10 or 20 years after initial exposure. Smoking increases the risk of death from asbestosis. There is no treatment.
Lung cancer. Inhalation of fibres leads to cancer developing in the lung tissue. It may take 25 years to develop and is nearly always fatal. Lung cancer is the greatest killer of people exposed to low levels of asbestos. Smoking increases the risk of death by lung cancer.
Mesothelioma. Swallowing or inhalation of fibres can cause cancer of the lung lining (pleura), of the stomach, bowels or abdomen (peritoneum). Both the pleura and peritoneal cancers are called mesotheliomas. These can take 20 to 45 years to develop. People with mesothelioma rarely live longer than 12 to 18 months after diagnosis.
Gastrointestinal cancer. Swallowing fibres leads to cancers of the stomach, bowels or rectum. It may take 20 to 40 years after initial exposure to develop. There may be some chance of survival if surgery is performed.
If public tenants in Melbourne believe that their health has been affected by asbestos, they should contact either attorneys Slater and Gordon on 689 9622 or the Braybrook/Maidstone Public Tenants Union.