In north-eastern New South Wales lies the small town of Baryulgil, where the remnants of an asbestos mine have drilled deep into the core of the community.
Tucked into the banks of the Clarence River in Bundjalung Country, north-eastern New South Wales, lies a small town called Baryulgil .But Daniella feels the history of this place running through her veins. Her ancestors lived and died on this land."It holds breathtaking beauty in the landmarks where my ancestors have walked and swum for thousands of years.About a kilometre from the centre of town, the visible scars remain: the grave of an old asbestos mine.
"Baryulgil was safe. All the children felt safe. If your mum and dad were home late, you always had other uncles and aunties who looked after you.""When dad worked there, they never wore any masks," she says.Asbestos tailings were used around the town as landfill for roads, around houses and the local primary school."We didn't know what it was. The truck would come and dump the tailings at the school. There would be a big pile of it," she says.
Professor Anna Nowak is an internationally renowned asbestos and mesothelioma researcher at the University of Western Australia. Contrary to what mine workers were told decades ago as they ventured into the mines, there is no "safe" amount of asbestos that you can inhale. Professor Nowak says some patients who reported no asbestos exposure may have been exposed without knowing.
"A new village was built just outside of Baryulgil, called Malabugilmah. A lot of us who were living in Baryulgil at the time, chose to move out to Malabugilmah for our health," she says.
Asbestos James Hardie Mine Mesothelioma
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