School board sets aside money for asbestos abatement

School board sets aside money for asbestos abatement

Doctors can?t tell extent of children?s asbestos exposure

Monday, July 19th, 2010

It is impossible to know if Australian school children who were in the same building as asbestos were directly exposed to the deadly mineral, says a doctor.

Last month, about 70 students may have suffered asbestos exposure at Wulguru State School in north Queensland, Australia, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company. Now, a state health official is informing parents that there is no medical technology available to determine the extent of their childrens’ exposure, or if there was any at all.

North Queensland director of education Mike Ludwig told the news source that the chief health advisor on asbestos, Dr Keith Adams, was able to give advice on the issue of asbestos exposure.

"He was saying that chest X-rays do not actually pick up the identification of asbestos particles," he said. "To the best of his knowledge and understanding, there’s not a medical tool to be able to do that."

Asbestos can cause a variety of deadly diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer that attacks the thin membranes that line the chest, lungs and abdomen.
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School board sets aside money for asbestos abatement