The Never-Ending Scourge of Asbestos

Asbestos; mesothelioma [Photograph]. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Library Edition. Retrieved 26 June 2013, from http://library.eb.com.au/eb/art-171564

A recent article in The Age has examined a 'third wave' of victims who have developed malignant mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos.[i] At first it appeared that only the miners and wharfies were affected by this scourge - then tradespeople [ii] started to develop asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma from inhaling asbestos fibres. Now medical specialists are seeing a new wave of sufferers - 'the bystanders', such as women who may have washed their husband's asbestos dust-laden overalls decades earlier. [iii]

 Asbestos, named from the ancient Greek word for 'inextinguishable', was touted as the 'wonder material' of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and used extensively in Australian buildings between 1945 and 1980.[iv]  As a material, it was cheap, strong and heat resistant, and its versatility resulted in it being used in over 3000 products, including insulation, carpet underlay, brake linings, roof tiles and cement sheeting.[v]

Mesothelioma, one of the cancers arising from exposure to asbestos fibres, can take up to 20-40 years to develop.[vi] Many people who develop mesothelioma do not experience any noticable symptoms for a long period of time.[vii] Early signs of pleural mesothelioma include:

• trouble breathing
• long-lasting cough and pain under the rib cage or in the abdomen
• pain while breathing
• weight loss [viii]

To read the article in The Age, login with your library card's barcode to EBSCOhost's Australian and New Zealand Reference Centre, and to read more about mesothelioma login to Consumer Health Complete or Britannica database.


Rayyan.

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[i] Schmidt, L. 2013, 'Still breathing the devil's dust', Age, The (Melbourne), 19 June, Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 June 2013.

 [ii] Ibid.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] Smith, N. 2013, ‘Pleural Mesothelioma’, Conditions and Procedures in Brief [report], Consumer Health Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 21 June, 2013.
[vii] Ibid.
[viii] Ibid.

School Tragedy Reignites Debate over Gun Control in the United States

Source: ZORNICK, G 2013, 'Walmart: America's No. 1 Gun Source', Nation, 296, 1/2, pp. 15-20, Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, EBSCOhost, viewed 6 February 2013.

Imagine walking into a retail chain store such as K-mart and being able to purchase a semiautomatic assault weapon. In Australia, we cannot do this, but in the United States, the retail chain store Walmart, is now the biggest seller of firearms and ammunition in the United States.¹

In the wake of the tragic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012, the issue of gun control is once more under debate in the United States. The US has the highest ranking of guns per capita, with an estimated 310 million firearms in US civilian circulation.² The percentage of US households with a gun in January 2013 was 49%.³

The fallout from the proliferation of these weapons is apparent - there were over 32,163 gun-related deaths (includes murder, suicide and other) in the US in 2011.⁴ While there is increased public support for new weapons regulation, there is also staunch opposition to gun control, in particular, from the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA).⁵

To read more about this important issue, login to Ebsco’s Australian/New Zealand Reference Centre, from home or in the library, with your library card’s barcode.

Rayyan

References
 1 ZORNICK, G 2013, 'Walmart: America's No. 1 Gun Source', Nation, 296, 1/2, pp. 15-20, Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, EBSCOhost, viewed 6 February 2013.

2 SCHERED, M 2013, 'THE NEXT GUN FIGHT. (cover story)', Time, 181, 3, pp. 24-33, Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, EBSCOhost, viewed 6 February 2013.

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid.

5 Ibid.

Did unapproved building alterations exacerbate a fatal Bankstown apartment blaze?

There is evidence to suggest that illegal building alterations may have contributed to a recent fatal  fire in an apartment building at Bankstown.¹ The fire reached an explosive state known as 'flashover' in its first 15 minutes, and the intense heat led two young women to jump from the fifth-floor balcony, where the fire had started.² Yinuo Jiang, a 27-year-old student, managed to survive the fall - although she is still recovering from severe injuries. Her friend, 21-year-old Connie Zhang, died at the scene.

According to a recent Sydney Morning Herald report, the roof which covered an interior atrium was not included in plans approved by council.³ The enclosed atrium is thought to have contributed to the accumulation of trapped dense smoke inside the building, which hindered residents' access to internal fire escapes. (To read more about this tragic accident, login to the ANZ Reference Centre (Ebsco) with your library card's barcode.)

The Building Code of Australia (BCA) provides the minimum regulatory requirements for all building work in Australia. If you would like to access the BCA and Standards Online database for quick and convenient access to vital building information, ask staff at the information desk of Hurstville Library to log you in with the required password.

Rayyan

References
¹Sean Nicholls and Josephine, T 2012, 'Roof of fatal fire block 'not approved'', Sydney Morning Herald,  8 September, Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, EBSCOhost, viewed 5 October 2012. 

²Stuart Washington, A 2012, 'Fire flat building changes: 15 minutes to 'flashover'', Sydney Morning Herald, 21 September, Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2012.

³ Op.cit.