40 Houses and in 40 Nights!

[Mike Stenson (RIP)]

All the workshops in the mine are made from unpainted asbestos sheeting, the side walls to . Most of the plant structures are covered in it to.
Have never heard of any problems associated with it.

[SandyB]

You  got  it ... as long as its not  broken  cut or interfered with ..

[Malcolm Bertoni]

Evidently blue asbestos is worse that the grey and white asbestos and much more dangerous to our health. Its got something to do with the shape of the fibres.

There is an estimate somewhere that 25,000 Australians will die from lung-related diseases due to blue asbestos which was mined in Western Australia at a place called Wittenoom, which has become synonymous with blue asbestos here. There are rather frightening pictures of huge mounds of fine asbestos around the mine with clouds of blue dust billowing everywhere.
The town has been degazetted and as such no longer exists and has been sealed off from the rest of the world, but incredibly, there are still people living in the town and refusing to leave.

Malcolm

[toonfandangl]

Micrograph of asbestosis showing the characteristic ferruginous bodies and marked interstitial fibrosis (or scarring). H&E stain.

It does not surprise me at all that people would put themselves at risk with asbestos, its been known for years that asbestos is a killer, it takes its time but there is no cure. There are cases of wives washing their husbands (who worked in the asbestos industry's) work cloths  contacting this disease and this is back in the Twenties.

Below is off the internet.

What Does Pleural Mesothelioma Mean?

A protective sheath termed as the pleura covers the chest cavity and the lungs. When mesothelioma occurs in this sheath, then the condition is known to be pleural mesothelioma. Of all the different types of mesothelioma present in the current times, this mesothelioma is known to be the most widespread one. It is commonly found in workers who are dealing with asbestos and related minerals. Asbestos cancer mesothelioma — the pleural mesothelioma is known to be a division of this core niche. In this brief article, we will try to analyze this condition.

Pleural mesothelioma is commonly known to be confused with lung cancer. It is a cancer occurring on the protective layer of the lungs. The cause of pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer are different. Advanced stages of pleural mesothelioma might lead to growth of cancerous cells in the lungs. At those stages, the symptoms of pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer are known to be the same. Unilateral — this is the mode of infection of the cancer. In other words, only a side of the chest will be infected and this is the main symptom that the patient is suffering from pleural mesothelioma.

If you used to work with asbestos, even for a short duration during those yesteryear, it is better to get yourself checked for the condition. Nodules appear in the region and with the passage of time these nodules strengthen themselves. Gradually, the entire side of the chest will be affected and the infection will start spreading to the nearby organs. The situation is a delicate one and if proper medication procedures are not subjected to the patient, then he might finally succumb to the condition. People realize that they are suffering from pleural mesothelioma only during the latter stages. By then they would be far from the point of recovery.

The effusion of the pleura — this is the first symptom that is commonly noticed. This might be accompanied with intense pain while indulging in day-to-day activities. Pain will be felt even when the person is normally breathing. This is because the original function of the pleura is to help in the lubricating of the chest cavity and the enclosed lungs. Damage to the pleura is reflected as acute pains during breathing and heaving. As with all other forms of cancer symptoms, fatigue will be profound.

The effusion of the pleura will be displayed prominently during the scans. In certain cases, the doctors might recommend analyzing the fluid present in the pleura for malignant cells. VATS or video assisted thoracoscopy is the best means to diagnose the condition. The pleural mesothelioma is known to affect the chest cavity and the lungs in predefined stages. Trimodal therapy is the best treatment option that is present in the current times. With the help of this method surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be subjected to the patient. Survival chances are slim, but there is room for miracles in this niche.

[Andrew Darné]

There was a similar issue with the asbestos mines around Kuruman in the Northern Cape. My uncle spent many years working there and has a respiratory disfunction associated with working in the vicinity of asbestos dusts / fibres.

[Andrew Darné]

Houses... 1st Avenue... 35-1st must have been built around '56/57 somewhere. I remember seeing the date 20 something -8-56, scratched in the cement of the laundry trough (on the underside when it was cast). The trough was original as there was no plaster on the wall behind it when it was removed, i.e it was plastered into place.

[Malcolm Bertoni]

All the cladding on the treatment plants in the mine was also made from asbestos.  Still all there as far as I know.

Malcolm

[Michael Alexander]

So here be asbestos, and here be a town where people from the past only talk in whispers about the high incidence of deaths by cancers....... Ssssssssh!