Increased Asbestos Waste Leads to High Cost and Illegal Dumping

Every few months, Andrew Morrison gets a call about a pile of asbestos that’s been illegally dumped. Morrison, the owner of Andrew’s Asbestos Solutions in Victoria, Australia, says the cost of proper asbestos disposal sometimes makes people feel forced to find their own solution. But when it comes to asbestos, cutting corners can lead to harmful exposures and serious health risks, including mesothelioma and other cancers. “They’ll ring up wanting to do the right thing, but they can’t believe how much it costs,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald report. Much of Morrison’s business includes removing asbestos from old outbuildings present on most farms throughout the state and disposing of it safely. He says many farmers don’t call him, but they decide instead to bring the building down themselves and haul the asbestos waste somewhere out in the bush. Growing National Problem According to an Australian federal government report, an estimated 44 pounds of asbestos-contaminated waste is generated for each person in the country annually. “Waste policy is driven by the requirements of most waste, but asbestos is a real exception,” report author Joe Pickin of consultant group Blue Environment said. The volume of asbestos waste the country will need to dispose of is expected to increase by about 2.8 percent annually over the next 20 years, yet there’s no effective plan in place to manage the growing burden. As the asbestos accumulat...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Asbestos Exposure & Bans Source Type: news