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Medicolegal aspects of the third wave of asbestos-related disease in Australia

John R C Gordon and James Leigh
Med J Aust 2011; 195 (5): . || doi: 10.5694/mja11.10899
Published online: 5 September 2011

Asbestos manufacturers have never warned homeowners of the risks of renovation

On the Australian mainland, there have only been two manufacturers of asbestos cement products used in home construction and renovation: James Hardie and Wunderlich, a subsidiary of CSR. Asbestos products were manufactured from the 1920s up until 1984, when Hardies ceased using asbestos in their building products (Wunderlich had been acquired by James Hardie in June 1977). In 1978, James Hardie boasted that their products were in most homes in Australia.


  • 1 Seabrook Chambers, Melbourne, VIC.
  • 2 Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.



Competing interests:

John Gordon, in his capacity as independent counsel, has appeared for plaintiffs in claims for damages for asbestos-related disease. At the time of writing, he is retained in a number of such claims.

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  • 7. International Labour Organization, Programme for Safety and Health at Work and the Environment. World Health Organization, Department for Public Health and Environment. Outline for the development of national programmes for the elimination of asbestos-related diseases. Geneva: ILO/WHO, 2007. http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/Out_NPEAD_ENG.pdf (accessed Jul 2011).

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