Samples of debris and other material that were found located in an Australian Aboriginal community have undergone extensive testing. Now results from those tests indicate that the substances tested contain two forms of deadly asbestos.
The Aboriginal community is located in the far south coast of the Australian state of New South Wales. The community of Wallaga Lake seems to have become contaminated when several homes were demolished during the 1990s.
According to the Aboriginal Lands Council’s chief executive officer, Ron Ny, the materials tested were positive for chrysotile and amosite asbestos.
Asbestos can be deadly when inhaled. Small asbestos fibers can become permanently lodged in the soft tissues of the lungs, leading to such deadly medical conditions as pleural mesothelioma. Asbestos is also linked to other medical conditions, such as lung cancer and asbestosis, a chronic inflammation and scarring of the lungs.
Ny now says it is up to Australia’s Department of Environment and Climate Change to hire an independent environmental crew to assess the severity of the asbestos contamination.
Because of this recent development, Australians are calling for the resignation of New South Wales’ Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Paul Lynch. Lynch has been accused by many Australians to be lacking in leadership qualities on the issue of asbestos contamination at the Aboriginal community.
"For him to now not be accountable and to not show any interest in the local community, I think it’s time for the Premier to step in and dismiss him from the portfolio responsibilities of Aboriginal Affairs,” said one concerned political official.