IN the aftermath of the terrible Victorian bushfires, with more than 200 dead, there has been a lot of recrimination particularly over the issue of control burning – or lack of. Others blame a combination of drought and unprecedented weather conditions – some have even blamed global warming.
There are new building guidelines following claims that many houses were simply not built to appropriate standards. In all of this discussion I have seen no mention of the word “asbestos” – and I don’t mean in the context of disease, but rather in the context of a fire retardant.
Yes, some types of asbestos represent a genuine danger to workers at certain exposure levels and under certain conditions, but there was never any doubt that the material was an effective fire retardant.
[Read more…] about Asbestos and Rebuilding After the Victorian Bushfires
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.