Unbelievable! The ACCC Advises Owners of Asbestos Tainted Cars ...

In an unbelievable turn of events, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently advised consumers who purchased cars containing engine and exhaust gaskets tainted with asbestos to remove and replace the parts themselves. The cars, manufactured by Great Wall Motor Company and Chery Automobile Company, were made in China and imported to Australia as early as 2009, meaning that do it yourself vehicle owners and repair shops may have been unknowingly exposed to potentially deadly asbestos for the past three years.

Government Agencies Asleep on the Job?

The problem was initially discovered not through inspection of the tainted vehicles, but through an Australian Customs inspection of spare parts shipped for the vehicles. Rather than call on the companies responsible for the asbestos use and import, the ACCC recommended that consumers replace the effected gaskets themselves. Paul Bastian, National Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union was one of the first to come out against the ACCC?s advice, not only because it contravened Australian law, but because as Director of the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute he is very familiar with the health risks posed to both home and professional mechanics exposed to asbestos, such as cancer, mesothelioma, and occupational lung disease.

Manufacturers Agree to Fix Asbestos Problem

There is, however, a positive ending for consumers.? According to the Wall Street Journal, after urging by Bastian and others the manufacturers of the cars ultimately agreed to recall the 23,000 vehicles shipped with the asbestos containing parts.? Additionally, further steps will be taken to limit the risks to consumers in Australia and elsewhere:

• the manufacturers have agreed to replace the potentially dangerous parts at consumers? request.
• the manufacturers are promising to no longer use asbestos in gaskets, even for vehicles destined for delivery in China, where the practice is still legal.
• AMWU, in conjunction with a council of trade unions, is now pushing for the nationwide removal of all asbestos, regardless of where it is found.

Australia was one of the first nations to recognize that asbestos causes cancer, and the devastating disease called mesothelioma. Why its leading government watchdog was willing to overlook that fact is open to question, but this proves that there is still a place even in countries that recognize the risks posed by asbestos use for non-government watchdogs and activist groups working to ban asbestos outright worldwide.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012 at 2:23 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Source: http://blog.mesothelioma-usa.com/unbelievable-the-accc-advises-owners-of-asbestos-tainted-cars-to-remove-themselves/

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