276
others who have been environmentally exposed to blue asbestos live
with the fear that they
too could develop that disease.
The high mortality rates in the Wittenoom cohort and the prediction of more asbestos-
related deaths among survivors, at least until 2030, confirm that
the Wittenoom blue
asbestos mine is Australia’s worst industrial disaster. Furthermore long after the deaths of
the last of the Wittenoom residents, mortalities will continue as a result of environmental
exposure to Wittenoom’s blue
asbestos, if the fibre is disturbed. The fibre is still present in
many private homes and public buildings constructed with materials using asbestos as an
additive or in the manufacture of an array of other products.
277
Chapter 9 - Reasons for the Legacy: Disregard of the
Medical Knowledge, Pursuit of Profit and CSR’s Secret
Defence Strategy
Nothing’s as precious as a hole in the ground.
1
Unfortunately the latest inspection of the mine and mill of
Australian Blue Asbestos suggests that I may have been
too sanguine in my last letter. The Mines Department
Inspector reported to me that the mill was dirtier than
ever. Despite a reduced ore production from the mine, a
higher rate of fibre extraction has been achieved at the
expense of higher dust concentrations. It is to be
wondered that this cynical attitude towards their workers’
health makes me doubt the company’s good faith.
2
Throughout the twentieth century, scientific knowledge became progressively available to
CSR and the Western Australian Departments of Mines and Health on the three major
asbestos-related diseases: asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Prior to CSR’s
acquisition of the Wittenoom mine in 1943, two
of these three diseases, asbestosis and lung
cancer, had already been identified. In 1930 English researchers Merewether and Price had
published their report on asbestosis. By the 1940s lung cancer due to asbestos exposure
was being discussed in articles and editorials appearing in widely read medical journals.
3
The Motley Rice Plaintiffs’ Exhibits reveal CSR and the Department of Mines held a
contrary position to the Department of Health regarding workers’ health. The Department of
Health communicated regularly with both parties about the hazardous conditions in the mine
and mill at Wittenoom: with the Department of Mines in an attempt to have the Mines Act
properly enforced (given that miners’ health was the Department of Mines’ responsibility),
and with CSR to encourage the company to carry out the improvements outlined by Mines
Inspectors. Despite the many representations the Department of Health made about the
health dangers associated with the high dust levels and the growing
number of asbestosis
1
Midnight Oil (1990), 'Blue Sky Mine'; from the album Blue Sky Mining, produced by Warne Livesey
and Midnight Oil, CBS/Columbia Records.
2
Motley Rice Plaintiff’s Exhibit no: 10673: Letter from Dr McNulty to Dr Rennie [CSR consultant]. 6
February 1963. Re: The mill at ABA the Mines Department Inspector report to me that the mill was
dirtier than ever, despite a reduced ore production.
3
Castleman, Op Cit. Chapters 1 & 2.
278
cases, A.B.A. Limited continued to operate Wittenoom in the pursuit of profit, under CSR’s
instructions and with the Department of Mines’ support. By the early 1960s, the first case of
mesothelioma was reported at Wittenoom and two international papers on mesothelioma had
been published.
In the 1970s, the Australian media began reporting on Wittenoom and the cases of
asbestos–related disease and deaths.
During the same period, CSR secretly attended to the
issue of their legal liability regarding future damages claims arising from ARDs. They
succeeded, until an anonymous informant revealed CSR’s clandestine defence to the
journalist Michael Gill in 1988. This paved the way for the successful class action for
damages claims by 300 asbestos victims. Claims continue to this day. In 2010, the issue of
payment of damages claims resurfaced when CSR advised its intention to sell its sugar
interest, Sucrogen. With the announcement of the sale to Wilmar, a
Singaporean company,
CSR provided assurances that it would continue to accept its responsibilities regarding
asbestos liabilities and maintain a capital structure to support its future obligations.
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