Health officials fear Australians may have been exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos in the wake of the nation's recent COVID-19, flood and fire crises, which could lead to an increased risk of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma - an incurable and aggressive cancer - commonly occurs after exposure to asbestos and was responsible for the deaths of some 760 people nationally last year, according to Cancer Australia.
Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia's (RCPA) Professor Sonja Klebe said asbestos debris are extremely dangerous and the follow on effects of exposure can take decades.
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Even brief exposure can prove lethal.
"Around 4000 Australians die every year from asbestos related diseases, such as mesothelioma," Klebe said.
"The Australian Mesothelioma Register shows that an increasing number of exposures are now linked to home building work, which increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic; there is also concern about potential exposure related to the recent natural disasters in Australia.
"During the bushfires, fire fighters had to go into burnt buildings, many of which were old farm buildings containing asbestos.
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"The same goes for the recent flooding; there would have been asbestos floating around in the debris. It is less dangerous when it is wet, but people may still have been exposed through contaminated water during the clean-up operation.
"The effect of this may not be seen for years, as the typical latency between exposure and disease is more than 30 years."
On average, tumours develop between 10 to 60 years after asbestos exposure and can develop on the the lungs, abdomen, heart or testes.
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Just six per cent of those diagnosed live longer than five years.
"This is a really important issue and it's not going to go away," Klebe said.
"Whilst asbestos has been banned for many years in Australia, there is still a huge amount present in buildings.
"We're seeing around 700-800 new cases of mesothelioma each year. Unfortunately, it is a hugely aggressive cancer and the life expectancy for most mesothelioma patients is approximately 12 months after diagnosis."
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