Personal Injury Law

Asbestos group wants research not review

By asbestoshub

Quoted from http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/29/3052472.htm

Asbestos group wants research not review

By David Weber

October 28, 2010

The Government wants people to better understand how they can avoid asbestos (ABC)

• Audio: Government sets up asbestos expert panel (PM)
• Related Story: National review of asbestos management
• Related Story: Lawyers say asbestos compo coming too late

The Government has established a panel to review the management of asbestos, but there is criticism the money could be better spent tackling asbestos-related illnesses.

Australia already has the highest incidence of asbestos-related cancers in the world and an increase in mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses is expected.

Federal Workplace Relations Minister Chris Evans says he wants to reduce the number of people dying as a result of asbestos exposure.

He wants people to better understand how they can avoid asbestos and says part of the Government review will involve pulling together information from the states.

“Each of the states have got various bits of information and we’ve got some data collection,” he said.

“The Tasmanian Government’s made an initiative recently which will help in that regard in their state, but we do need to pull all the things together to actually make sense of it all and make sure we’ve got priorities.”

The National Centre for Asbestos-Related Diseases director, Bruce Robinson, says Australia leads the world in research into remedies and cures for asbestos-related illnesses.

“The epidemic of asbestos cancers is continuing to rise, it won’t peak for some time yet, and then it’s going continue for another 40, 50, 60 years,” he said.

“So there are more than 20,000 people expected to die just of mesothelioma, which isn’t the only asbestos-induced cancer.

“And that’s just in Australia - millions are going to die around the world and we think Australia’s is the best place to find a cure so those millions of people can be helped.”

[Article continues at original source]

Full post as published by Asbestos HUB on October 29, 2010 (boomark / email).