October 15th, 2004

A mesothelioma victim has come forward to state that he thinks that Aussie manufacturing giant, James Hardie, should not only find the funds to pay the victims of mesothelioma what they are rightfully owed, but also to fund research into finding a cure for the disease.

Mr Frank Spadanuda, aged 49, was diagnosed with mesothelioma earlier this year. His father has already died from the same disease, which is a deadly form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. James Hardie produced and shipped asbestos products for many years without adequate warning labels, resulting in many people contracting this deadly cancer.

James Hardie has been in the limelight a great deal over the last few months, namely because the company has made claims that there is not enough money to pay off the many compensation claims and law suits filed against it by victims of the cancer that were affected by James Hardie products.

Claims against the company have reached over two billion dollars, and it was found that the company had given false information when it claimed to have put aside the necessary funds to meet these claims. Mr Spadanuda claims that simply finding the compensation claims isn’t enough and that the company should be made to fund research. He stated that: "Governments can't keep up the funding for research."