Natural Disasters

5 January 2011: The flood clean-up could pose an asbestos risk to homeowners, the Queensland attorney-general says.

18 January 2011: Queenslanders are being urged to put their health and well-being first as the flood clean-up continues. (video)

20 January 2011: … Yep, that one’s asbestos. So the kitchen’s asbestos, bedroom’s asbestos. The study’s asbestos and the dining room is asbestos. (audio and transcript)

20 January 2011: Queensland flood victims may be exposing themselves to unseen dangers like asbestos as they go about cleaning up and repairing their homes

23 January 2011: … the Australian Workers’ Union issued a hazard alert for the thousands of workers who have begun the arduous task of rebuilding our devastated communities after the recent deadly floods.

4 February 2011: Victims of Cyclone Yasi returning to their shattered homes should beware of contact with asbestos, the Asbestos Diseases Foundation (ADFA) of Australia said.

7 February 2011: Many of the houses damaged and destroyed in the Queensland floods contained asbestos which was, up until the mid 80s, a very popular building material in Queensland.

7 February 2011: Authorities are warning people not to dispose of asbestos during north Queensland’s cyclone clean-up.

8 February 2011: Asbestos campaigner Barry Robson says the image of people cleaning up the battered debris of their fibro homes in cyclone-battered far north Queensland “strikes terror” into his heart.

15 February 2011: Cassowary Coast Mayor Bill Shannon says experts are continuing to remove asbestos from cyclone-hit Tully Heads in far north Queensland.