Australia continues to face rising mesothelioma cases as past asbestos use is now taking its toll. A Queensland woman wishing to remain unnamed has been diagnosed with mesothelioma decades after her exposure to asbestos in a State pre-school.
Shailer Park State Pre-school was in prime condition in the early 1980’s. However after a quick double in class size administrators moved forward with an expansion of the facility. Regular classes were kept while construction was done. It is during this time that the unnamed woman, working as a pre-school teacher’s aid, was exposed to asbestos fibers.
Asbestos is known to cause several severe respiratory conditions including lung cancer, asbestosis, and the rare cancer mesothelioma from which this lady is now suffering. Mesothelioma begins when asbestos fibers are inhaled. Once in the lungs, they can start a mutation in cells of lung lining and lining of other abdominal cavities. Mesothelioma is characterized by irregularly patterned tumors which remain latent for years, most often twenty to fifty years. When symptoms are demonstrated mesothelioma can be easily mistaken for pneumonia or other treatable respiratory conditions.
There are mesothelioma treatments available which include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and palliative care. Palliative care focuses on pain management and quality of life without directly fighting the cancer. Life expectancy of mesothelioma patients following diagnosis averages eighteen months.
A worker’s comp claim was filed on behalf of those present and involved in Shailer Park State Pre-school construction. Hoping for additional evidence in the event of a class action lawsuit, the firm on the case asked people involved to register with their online database. Trent Johnson, associate at Maurice Blackurn Lawyers said additional evidence would make future claims go smoother. He said, “Education facilities in Shailer Park were at a premium in the early 1980s and just a year after the original preschool was built, it needed to double its size to meet demand. Normal classes were conducted while the preschool extensions were under construction and everyone who was at the site during the building works in early to mid-1983 would have been exposed to the asbestos dust. Not everyone who’s exposed to asbestos will come down with an illness … but if we had a large number of people suffering from asbestos-related illnesses, anything is possible.”
Although the unnamed lady was a part of this worker’s comp claim, she is considering filing against Queensland’s government directly for past and future damages.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010 at 6:44 AM and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
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