Bernie Banton Bridge
This bridge which carries Marsden Street over the Parramatta River in Parramatta in named after Bernard Douglas (Bernie) Banton (1946-2007). He was an Australian social justice campaigner known for his legal and political campaign to provide compensation for the sufferers of asbestos-related medical problems acquired following exposure while working for the company James Hardie or being exposed to James Hardie Industries' products. The book “Killer Company: James Hardie Exposed” by journalist Matt Peacock opens with his story.
He suffered from asbestosis, Asbestos-Related Pleural Disease (ARPD) and later developed peritoneal mesothelioma and died in November 2007 at age 61.
Asbestos
Asbestos is an ancient useful mineral exploited by humans from prehistoric times because of its durability and heat resistance and its fibrous nature. The word asbestos (meaning “unquenchable” or "inextinguishable" in Greek) is used currently as a collective term for naturally occurring mineral silicates of the serpentine and amphibole group. Three of these are crocidolite (blue asbestos), amosite (brown or grey asbestos) and chrysotile (white asbestos).
The use of asbestos became increasingly widespread towards the end of the 19th century. Asbestos fibres have many useful qualities: they are strong and flexible, resistant to fire and chemical attack, and have good insulating properties. They can even be spun and woven into cloth. Unfortunately, asbestos is also a highly toxic, insidious and environmentally persistent material that has killed thousands.
Exposure can occur from direct, indirect, environmental, residential and even domestic exposure as a consequence of fibre-laden work clothes being brought home.
In Australia, asbestos was widely used in construction and other industries between 1946 and 1980. The use of crocidolite (blue) asbestos was banned in 1967, while the use of amosite (brown) asbestos continued in the construction industry until the mid-1980s. The mining of asbestos ended in Australia in 1983. It was finally banned from building products in 1989, though it remained in gaskets and brake linings until 2003. Asbestos was prohibited completely after 31 December 2003, and cannot be imported, used or recycled.
Embedded asbestos fibres irritate the lung tissue around them, causing a number of diseases.
Asbestos related pleural disease is a collection of disorders due to inflammation and irritation of the outer lining of the lung (pleura). It depends on the exposure and the residence time of the dust in the lung. The pleura stiffens and thickens widely (diffuse thickening) or in patches (plaques), and can fill with fluid. This thickening can restrict breathing.
Asbestosis is scarring or fibrosis of the lungs. The lungs become stiff and inelastic, making breathing progressively difficult. It commonly occurs in the lower and outermost area of the lungs and usually takes a decade or more to develop.
Exposure to asbestos fibres greatly increases a person’s risk of developing lung cancer, particularly if they are also a smoker.
Mesothelioma is a malignancy that arises from the lining of the chest or abdominal cavity. Unfortunately, even a small exposure to asbestos can be enough to trigger this cancer. However, only a small fraction of people exposed to asbestos develop mesothelioma. It typically grows quickly and spreads widely before symptoms appear, making its early diagnosis and effective treatment very difficult. The average survival time after diagnosis is only 6-18 months.
Australia and the UK have the highest rates of asbestos-related death in the world.
There is a lag time of 20 to 40 years between exposure and the onset of symptoms of disease. This can make detection, prevention and risk management for asbestos related health risk very difficult. It is estimated that the peak of the epidemic of asbestos-related disease in Australia will not occur until the 2020s.
The weathering and ageing of asbestos-containing materials and renovation of buildings containing asbestos products may continue to release asbestos fragments for many years.
Currently, each year 500 men and 100 women develop mesothelioma in Australia, and this is expected to rise to 900 new cases a year by 2020.
Sources :- Wikipedia . NHMRC
The cache itself is a common type of container used for caches on bridges.
The challenge would not be locating the cache but procuring it without being seen by muggles.