Geoff Maul who runs AVA Support Group in Port Augusta talks with some Terowie residents and, Vassil Malandris from ABC 7:30 report Asbestos has littered a town in South Australia for decades and the locals are frustrated in their campaign to get answers and action. There are few products as deadly as asbestos. Australia has one of the highest rates of asbestos-related deaths in the world. Nearly 5,000 people have died so far from exposure to the deadly dust and another 25,000 are expected to die in the next 25 years. Normally the first glimpse of asbestos sets alarm bells ringing, but one town in South Australia has been littered with asbestos for decades, and apart from frustrated residents, no-one’s doing anything about it.
Dave Perron from Terowie said “the ground is just covered with broken asbestos” “I have grandchildren who want to come here and explore the old train station and the old line, to do that they would have to walk over the asbestos”. Geoff Maul has asbestosis after 27 years of exposure to asbestos dust said residents were told in the past that the asbestos was non friable so it was safe, Geoff felt compelled to deliver a very different message.AVA has been informed that since the story went to air warning signs have been put up and an asbestos removal company has been engaged to clean the site.
“the ground is just covered with broken asbestos”
Dave Perron, Terowie resident.
The full story was telecast on ABC 7:30 report on the 26/02/2013. watch here . .
