Opposition Claims Asbestos Cover-up
The Age
Monday May 24, 2004
The State Opposition has demanded the Government release a report on asbestos contamination at a Ferntree Gully hospital.
Opposition health spokesman David Davis yesterday accused the Government of trying to cover up asbestos contamination at the Angliss Hospital. He said it should tell the public of the real risk.
Last Wednesday The Age revealed that the hospital's 60-year-old Chandler House building was riddled with asbestos.
``The Government has refused to release the critical reports. I call on the minister to release the reports," Mr Davis said.
``Asbestos is deadly. We know there is asbestos in that building. We know there is asbestos in the air in that building and the community needs to know the truth of this matter."
Despite repeated requests from one doctor only some asbestos has been removed and a report into the asbestos contamination has not been made public.
Some manholes in the building had also been labelled with warnings about the asbestos contamination.
Dr Peter Lazzari, who works at Chandler House, said yesterday it was a building from another time and should be demolished.
``We don't know what levels of asbestos are risky; we really have to aim for zero," he said. ``There are no safe levels. I do know that audit was done and showed there were asbestos fibres in the air."
Dr Lazzari, who has worked at the hospital for eight years, also said yesterday he had been accused of misconduct and threatened with dismissal for speaking up.
An Eastern Health spokesman last week confirmed there was some asbestos in the building but denied that staff and patients were at risk.
© 2004 The Age