About this episode
The episode explores the history and health impacts of the asbestos mining town Wittenoom in Western Australia.
With demand for Asbestos in building products in the 1940s, a discovery in Western Australia's remote Pilbara region of Blue Asbestos led to the creation of a mining town called Wittenoom. Despite the growing list of illnesses and deaths of workers from the mine and milling operation, the company pressed on until it closed for 'financial' reasons. We look at the dangers of dust inhalation and try to determine if we have collectively learned anything from the disaster at Wittenoom.
Topics covered
- asbestos
- mining
- health risks
- industrial disaster
- Wittenoom
Keywords
- Wittenoom
- asbestos
- mining
- health risks
- dust inhalation
- industrial disaster
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: asbestos
Places: Wittenoom, Western Australia, Pilbara
More episodes of Causality
- 64: Verrückt Waterslide · May 30, 2026 · 35 min
- 62: OceanGate Titan · February 2, 2026 · 39 min
- 61: West Gate Bridge · November 29, 2025 · 39 min
- 60: Carnival Triumph · August 26, 2025 · 25 min
- 59: Bayer CropScience · April 30, 2025 · 50 min
- 58: West Fertilizer Company · March 31, 2025 · 31 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Causality podcast page.