Record Number of Mesothelioma Deaths Among Aboriginals in Western Australia Traced to Mining of Blue Asbestos

Indigenous peoples in Western Australia die of mesothelioma at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world, researchers report from the University of Western Australia, with over two thirds of these cases caused by the mining of asbestos in a town called Pilbara.
The researchers, led by Dr. Peter Franklin, an epidemiologist at the university, found that 67 percent of mesothelioma cases among Aboriginal people of Western Australia were the result of operation of the asbestos Wittenoom Gorge, against less than 25 percent of cases among non -Aboriginals. According to Dr. Franklin, this difference has nothing to do with biology, and everything to do with the indigenous population is more widely exposed to crocidolite, a powerful form of asbestos which is also known as "blue asbestos".
"Many indigenous cases have worked in the dusty work, paid less for raw crocidolite loading for transportation to the ports, over 300 km from the mine," said Dr. Franklin in a news release. "So proportionally, Wittenoom them [Aboriginal] much he did non-Aboriginal people affected."
From the 1930s to 1966, nearly 7,000 people, mainly men, mined blue asbestos throat. Researchers examined Register of 1960-2013 Western Australia mesothelioma to investigate all cases of asbestos-related cancer, and found that more than 300 former workers of the mine and about 100 former inhabitants of the city died mesothelioma over the years.
Among Aboriginal people, the rate due to the death of cancer was more than double the rate in the United Kingdom - the country with the highest national average in the world. Dr. Franklin suggested that rates could even be underestimated because many Aboriginal people living in remote areas may not have sought medical help for their disease.
blue asbestos mines in Wittenoom, 1106 km north of Perth, ceased in 1966 and was then closed because of health problems. But microscopic fibers of mining still litter the city, the researchers said, and pose a risk if inhaled.
The number of indigenous cases can also grow. "The area around Wittenoom remains important for the people Banyjima who continue to visit the canyon for swimming, fishing, cooking and cultural purposes," said Dr. Franklin.