Bernie Banton Asbestos Research Center Opened
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd opened the world’s first dedicated asbestos research center, the Bernie Banton Center, and pledged $5 million to on-going research. Here is part of Rudd’s opening address:
“Today we honor the memory of this great Australian Bernie Banton in opening the world’s first dedicated asbestos research centre.
This centre has just one purpose – to improve the lives of asbestos victims and their families through new inventive treatments and solutions to asbestos related diseases. The centre’s work is important for the lives of every person whose exposure to asbestos, however small, has resulted years later in asbestos-related diseases.
I believe Bernie would be proud of everything that we are doing here today. Bernie was a true believer…Bernie was a prize fighter. Bernie was an Australian through and through.
He never gave up in fighting for a fair go for the asbestos workers and their families. A fair go from James Hardie, for a fair go in getting access to good and decent medical care for all who needed it.
Because of Bernie’s tireless efforts, many more Australians are now aware of the terrible nature of asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma.
But few of aware of just how this incidence is rising. Every year around 600 Australians are diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases, of which 350 occur here in NSW. Next year around 750 Australians will be diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases.
These are bad figures. The incidence of these diseases is rising because it takes decades from the time of exposure to the time of diagnosis of the disease. By 2020 it is estimated Australia will have 13,000 cases of mesothelioma, and a further 40,000 people will have contracted asbestos-related cancer. These are very bad figures.
All kinds of Australians can receive the diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease. Of course many of those who contract these diseases were exposed at work, especially in asbestos production.
Some were full time factory workers, others just students or casual workers doing a summer-time job. Some may be once, maybe a few times inhaled a few of those deadly fibers, like the wives or mums who shook out and washed the dusty worker’s clothes.
And others were just kids having fun playing around on a building site in their street or in their backyard when renovations were being done and there were building materials lying around.
These were just honest Australians. These were just innocent Australians. These were just working Australians, supporting their families, supporting themselves. Doing no harm to anybody but great harm was done to them. Working Australians whose lives and whose families’ lives were changed forever because of a few tiny fibers breathed in some 20 or 30 years ago.”
As one can tell from Rudd’s remarks, Bernie Banton was an amazing man and an
avid campaigner for the rights of victims who were suffering from asbestos related diseases. He himself contracted the deadly disease, asbestosis, after years of occupational exposure to asbestos through employment with several subsidiaries of James Hardie Industries.
Upon diagnosis, Bernie began lobbying politicians and working with mesothelioma lawyers and politicians on behalf of those suffering from diseases caused by exposure to asbestos. In 2007, Bernie also developed malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare and fatal form of cancer which attacks the lining of the abdomen, and died shortly after diagnosis. Bernie’s brothers also died of asbestos related diseases caused by occupational exposure.
The center opens soon after it was revealed that the Navy was still using asbestos containing parts, putting thousands of Australian sailors and defense force contractors at risk of exposure and developing those same deadly diseases that Mr. Rudd commits to improve. Unions and asbestos disease interest groups have asked for an inquiry into the use of asbestos in the nation, but so far Australian government has balked and refused.
So, while the Bernie Banton Center and the Asbestos Disease Research Institute aim to find new ways to fight, treat, and cure asbestos related diseases, the health of many of its citizens continue to be compromised with the potential of exposure.
Hopefully, the opening of the center and campaigners such as Bernie will continue to spur the government to take action to rid itself of the deadly substance. As Rudd said, “Asbestos carries a terrible human toll.”
