May 11th, 2006

Concerns have been raised by officials in Australia with regards to the danger that children in the Northern Territory could face from exposure to asbestos. Officials from the Australian Education Union state that children in this area are able to gain access to a cyclone damaged school building, which contain asbestos, a known carcinogenic.

The buildings were damaged by Cyclone Monica last month, and one official stated that the problem is “slowness but ... someone should have acted immediately and said let's do a safety audit, let's see what we need, let's get out there and do it." He added: "If they did it, why is it like it is now?"

A construction manager from the Department of Infrastructure stated that there was minimal risk, and that contractors were being organized to sort things out. He stated: "Obviously we'll make it as secure as we can, but if somebody wants to get in they're always going get into that area. We have provided a period contractor who has walked the site to remove any visible signs of asbestos, we've also isolated the resource centre."

Asbestos is a substance that can prove dangerous and even deadly through exposure to airborne fibers, and there are fears that the hurricane could have damaged asbestos causing dust and fibers to become airborne.