63: Wittenoom

With demand for Asbestos in building products in the 1940s, a discovery in Western Australia's remote Pilbara region of Blue Asbestos led to the creation of a mining town called Wittenoom. Despite the growing list of illnesses and deaths of workers from the mine and milling operation, the company pressed on until it closed for 'financial' reasons. We look at the dangers of dust inhalation and try to determine if we have collectively learned anything from the disaster at Wittenoom.
With John Chidgey.

News Articles:

• Memories of Wittenoom
• Exposure to Asbestos Takes Its Toll
• CSR Still Fighting
• Closure of Wittenoom
• Wittenoom Riddled with Asbestos

About Asbestos:

• Asbestos
• The Colours of Asbestos
• What Is Asbestos and Where Does it Come From?

About Engineered Stone:

• Engineered Stone Fact Sheet
• Engineered Stone Ban

General Information:

• Closure of Wittenoom
• Asbestos fiber length as related to potential pathogenicity
• Consequences of Wittenoom
• Silicosis and Black Lung Cases Rising
• Wittenoom
• Australian Blue Asbestos
• Selling the Wittenoom Dream
• Wittenoom Health Disaster
• Lang Hancock

Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle, Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto and Steve Branam.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Ian Gallagher and Jamie Russell.

With thanks to Christian French for the topic suggestion.