crocidolite

or blue asbestos

Gray-blue to green, highly fibrous (asbestiform) form of the amphibole mineral riebeckite. It has higher tensile strength than chrysotile asbestos. The major commercial source is South Africa, where it occurs in Precambrian banded-iron formations; it is also found in Australia and Bolivia.

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Australian Blue Asbestos Pty. Ltd. (ABA) was a company founded by Lang Hancock, operated between the years (1938 - 1966) responsible for the mining, bagging and distribution of blue asbestos or crocidolite, in Wittenoom, in northern Western Australia. The operation, purchased in 1943 by CSR Limited, was operated as a subsidiary until its closure in 1966. Due to litigation brought about by workers about the effects of inhalation of airborne fibres of blue asbestos, the company was forced to close. It was alleged that ABA was negligent in its behaviour in that with respect to the workers, families and residents of Wittenoom, the company willingly knew that conditions were well below standard and that dust levels exceeded accepted levels of the day.

Asbestos

Blue asbestos is possibly 100 times worse than white asbestos, as the fibres are much smaller (around 2.5 to 10 micrometres). The inhalation of asbestos results in illness and in most cases death, due to Asbestosis, Mesothelioma (of which asbestos is the only known cause) and other lung diseases. was described, reported and explained to the management of ABA as well as being the subject of many medical journal articles.

The asbestos fibre count at the mine and other facilities was regularly measured at 1000 parts per cm³ this is in stark contrast to the health department guidelines of the 1950s that required less than 176 parts per cm³. By 1967 the 'safe' level of asbestos was limited to 5 parts per cm³.

Litigation

By 1988 a Supreme Court jury found that CSR had been "recklessley indifferent" to the safety of its workers. And that ABA knowingly allowed the processing of asbestos to continue even though the dangers of asbestos fibre inhalation were known as early as 1926. One litigant Klaus Rabenault, was awarded $426,000 in damages and CSR was fined $250,000 for its criminal behaviour. A year later Klaus died of mesothelioma.

The company was purchased from CSR Limited by James Hardie industries and has now moved to the Netherlands in an apparent attempt to divorce itself from the asbestos crisis. Presently, the subject of worker's compensation for previous workers, wives and offspring of residents of Wittenoom, it continues to be a big issue for the James Hardie company, who have not moved any further on the compensation case. The present number of known victims is around 2000. Since 1995 a disturbing trend has surfaced, many new cases of wives and children of workers from Wittenoom have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, possibly from washing dust-laden clothes of mine workers, while the children who used to play in the mine tailings that were spread over the streets at Wittenoom, have also been affected.

Latest information

On the 7th of February 2007 Hardie Industries agreed to a compensation payout. On the 20th of November 2007 one victim, Mister Bernie Banton, had just received a second compensation payout however, his health had declined to almost total incapacitation. Mister Banton passed away on the 27th of November, 2007.

The subject of the disregard for asbestos miners health and lack of compensation was referenced in the song Blue Sky Mine on the album Blue Sky Mining by Midnight Oil.

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