1935 was when James Hardies first knew asbestos was a killer!

Gobsmacked by this ABC Radio National Background Briefing episode on an asbestos products plant in Tasmania, and how they knew of the link between asbestos and mesothelioma in the 1960s.

But even more amazing is that they found out then via information that James Hardies had that dated right back to 1935!

When I think of the hours I spent sanding back my old fibro house in Bli Bli. Or cutting and nailing up fibro when helping my parents build our home in Eumundi. Or how as kids we used to bust up scrap fibro and throw it into the fire to watch it explode. Bastards.

Listen to ABC's podcast, or at least read these extracts:



Di Martin:  Laurie Appleby has campaigned for years about asbestos, studying it closely since he discovered he was ill 16 years ago. He says workers were let down by everybody in a position to know, by the government, by unions, as well as by management.

But it wasn't until just last year that he discovered the highest level of Goliath management knew about the dangers of asbestos back in the mid-1960s.

The proof came from a critical set of James Hardie's documents, brought to Tasmania by author Matt Peacock, during the launch of his book on James Hardie called Killer Company.

The documents tell a damning story about Alex Walker, the Managing Director of Goliath Portland Cement. In 1965, Alex Walker was returning from a trip to England, where he'd read a feature on asbestos and mesothelioma in The Sunday Times newspaper, that in part read:

Reader: A disquieting new occupational disease capable of killing not only the exposed workman, but also perhaps his womenfolk and even people living near his place of work, is the subject of intensive behind-the-scenes activity by British scientists, experts on industrial health, and at least two government ministries.

Di Martin: Alarmed, Alex Walker sent the article to his counterpart at James Hardie, John Boyd Reid.

Mr Reid in turn wrote the following memo to his personnel manager.

Reader: Attached hereto is a copy of an article which was given to me by Mr A. Walker, Managing Director of Goliath Portland Cement Ltd., Tasmania. He is concerned about this sort of information getting around Australia.

Di Martin: Hardie's chief asked to be sent whatever information was available on the contents of the newspaper article.

The reply from his personnel manager came just one day later, saying that the article:

Reader: ... is merely one of many reports on world studies which have been conducted since 1935 when the association between the exposure to dust and carcinoma of the lung, mesothelioma of the pleura, tumour of the bladder and uterus and other fatal complaints, was first recognised.

Di Martin: The James Hardie personnel manager went on:

Reader: The only preventative action is to eliminate the presence of dust.

Di Martin: And finally the personnel manager advised Hardie's boss, John Boyd Reid that:

Reader: The best advice you can give your friend is to ignore the publicity. Dust is a fact. Denials merely stir up more publicity.

Di Martin: The documents were a revelation to former Goliath worker, Laurie Appleby.

Laurie Appleby: And Alex Walker, or A. Walker, the General Manager, was the person who sent the letter to John Reid in 1965. Now they knew about the relationship of asbestos killing people in 1965 and didn't do a thing about it.

Di Martin: When you saw that memo, what was your reaction?

Laurie Appleby: Ropable. I only wish he was alive.

Di Martin: Laurie Appleby.

The documents are also an eye-opener for Goliath's former Finance Manager, Roger Martin.

Roger Martin: I'm surprised because I didn't have any knowledge of it, but that doesn't surprise me because I didn't know Mr Walker. He'd retired long before I arrived. I'm amazed.

Di Martin: It's the kind of information that's also shaking up the opinions of former workers who continue to defend their old Goliath managers. People like Beau Bennie, the man who sculpted the state's giant asbestos fairy penguin.

Here's Mr Bennie talking about what Goliath managers knew about the dangers of asbestos before he saw the James Hardie documents.

Beau Bennie: We really didn't know anything about it. Our bosses didn't, either.

Di Martin: And after Background Briefing showed him the documents.

Beau Bennie: Oh yeah. Hmm, 1935.

Di Martin: 1935, when the association between the exposure to dust and carcinoma of the lung, mesothelioma of the pleura, tumour of the bladder and uterus and other fatal complaints, was first recognised.

Beau Bennie: There's no doubt about that. It was well known wasn't it, and documented. Marvellous what goes on.

Di Martin: The story of Goliath Portland Cement Ltd., is finally being told.

.....

After the asbestos factory closed, Goliath was bought by Australian Cement Holdings, or ACH. ACH didn't begin the Railton asbestos clean-up for 11 years.

ACH then merged 50-50 with another company to create the current owner, Cement Australia. So Cement Australia's predecessor sat on the problem for a decade before taking action.

When Cement Australia was created the Railton asbestos clean-up was already under way. Yet another three years on, a union inspection showed the plant was still littered with asbestos. That was in 2006.