Health and Safety experts have flagged the possibility of planning controls if deadly asbestos dust is found in homes near the sites of former factories in Brisbane. Source: Supplied
NEW controls on redevelopment of properties around two old asbestos factories in Brisbane will be considered if further tests confirm the presence of potentially deadly dust in nearby homes.
Officers from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland were yesterday conducting air sampling in and around several properties where independent tests commissioned by The Courier-Mail found asbestos dust in the roof spaces.
Local residents are concerned that lethal fibres which may have accumulated in house roof spaces during the 47 years the Wunderlich plant operated at Gaythorne could be released into the surrounding neighbourhood as old homes are demolished or removed for new properties.
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Local Government Minister David Crisafulli, who is heading an inter-agency investigation into possible links to deaths and illnesses, said the Government would not hesitate to act if necessary.
“If there is a level of risk in the roof cavities, we will need to look at a plan to deal with (redevelopment) in the radius,’’ he said.
The investigation is concentrating on a 1.5km radius around the old Wunderlich plant and the site of a former James Hardie fibre cement factory in Newstead.
“Certainly before Christmas, I would like a much clearer indication of whether there is any risk and – if there is – how we are going to deal with it,’’ Mr Crisafulli said.
An initial scan of cancer registers found 20 cases of mesothelioma since 1982 among people who were living within that 1.5km distance of the sites when they were diagnosed.
Anyone with information or questions about the asbestos investigation should call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) or go to the website www.health.qld. gov.au/asbestos