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taminated with tremolite asbestos (Luce et al, 2000). In Da-yao, a rural town in southwestern China, crocidolite in soils is known to have caused malignant mesothelioma (Luo et al, 2003) Geological information should form an important component of the regulatory decision-making process in regard to NOA. Geologists in California have been increasingly involved in assessing the NOA potential of property, prior to land acquisition or property development. Geological information may also be useful in designing site development to avoid potential longterm exposures to NOA or in helping to minimise potential short-term NOA exposures during construction activities. There has been an increased need for this kind of specialist geological advice in eastern Australia. A recent review by Goldberg (2005) states that: “While exposure in environmental settings is generally much lower than in occupational circumstances, the levels may not be negligible. In studies in which elevated risk of mesothelioma was demonstrated, people typically lived close to naturally occurring asbestos sources, and may have had direct contact with asbestos, when whitewashing houses with material containing asbestos or working in polluted fields. It is thus likely that lifelong cumulative exposure may have been as high (if not higher) as in some occupational settings...” A study of malignant mesothelioma in Australia between 1945 and 2000 by Leigh et al (2002) found that for a small proportion of cases no history of asbestos exposure could be obtained. Of these, a significant amount had high lung fibre counts suggesting an unrecognised exposure to asbestos. Could NOA represent an unrecognised source of exposure Further research into NOA is obviously required to answer this question. Data are also required so Australian authorities have sufficient information to make appropriate policy and regulatory decisions In summary: ■ Areas of rocks which contain NOA occur within every state of the Australian continent, in a variety of geologic environments ■ Any activity which causes NOA-bearing rocks and soils to be disturbed can potentially result in asbestos fibres being released into the air ■ Unintentional, environmental and non-occupational exposure to asbestos dust from natural sources is recognised as a significant geological hazard in California and a number of other countries ■ Specialised geological maps and investigation guidelines have been developed by geoscientists in California to help deal with the issue ■ Geologists in Australia will need to play a significant role in preparing similar material for Australia ■ Further research is required to determine the health risks of NOA in Australia. REFERENCES Birch W D 2003. Geology of Victoria. Geological Society of Australia Special Publication 23. Geological Society of Australia (Victorian Division). Clickenbeard J P, Churchhill R K, and Lee K, (Eds) 2002. Guidelines for Geologic Investigations of Naturally Occurring Asbestos in California. California Geological Survey Special Publication 124, p 71. Edwards, J, Wohlt, K E, Slater, K R, Olshina, A and Hutchinson, D F 1998. Heathcote and parts of Woodend and Echuca. 1:100000 map area and geological report, Geological Survey of Victoria Report 108. Emri S and Demir A U 2004. Malignant pleural mesothelioma in Turkey 2000–2002, Lung Cancer, Vol 45, p S17–S20. Goldberg M, Luce D 2005. Can exposure to very low levels of asbestos induce pleural mesothelioma American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Vol 172(8), p 939–940. Hendrickx M, Franklin B and Och D J 2006. Environmental asbestos exposure: a vital role for the geologist, Australian Earth Sciences Convention 2006 Conference Abstracts. Johns, R 1961. Geology and mineral resources of the Southern Eyre Peninsula, Geological Survey of South Australia, Bulletin 37, p 102. Kellaway C and Rhodes D 2002. Glenelg Shire heritage study: an environmental history, Part 1. Glenelg Shire Council unpublished report, p 152, available online. King, D 1957. Investigation of asbestos deposits in the Robertstown and Truro Districts, Mining Review 103, p 58–73. Leigh J, Davidson P, Hendrie L, Berry D 2002. Malignant mesothelioma in Australia, 1945–2000, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, Vol 41, p 188–201. Luce D, Bugel I, Goldberg P, Goldberg M, Salomon C, Billon-Galland M, Nicolau J, Quénel P, Fevotte J, and Brochard P 2002. Environmental Exposure to Tremolite and Respiratory Cancer in 'New Caledonia: A Case-Control Study, American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol 151 (3), p 259–265. Luo S, Liu X, Mu S, Tsai S P, Wen C P 2003. Asbestos related diseases from environmental exposure to crocidolite in Da-yao, China. I. Review of exposure and epidemiological data, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, No 60, p 35–41. MacNevin, A A 1970. Asbestos, Mineral industry of New South Wales Report No 4, Geological Survey of New South Wales, p 51. Pan X, Day H W, Wang W, Beckett L A, and Schenker M , 2005. Residential Proximity to Naturally Occurring Asbestos and Mesothelioma Risk in California, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Vol 172, p 1019–1025. Sakellariou K, Malamou-Mitsi V, Haritou A, Koumpaniou C, Stachouli C, Dimoliatis I D and Constantopoulos S H 1996. Malignant pleural mesothelioma from non-occupational asbestos exposure in Metsovo (north west Greece): slow end of an epidemic, The European Respiratory Journal, Vol 9, No 6, p 1206–1210. Spaggiari, C V, Gray, D R, Foster, D A, and Fanning, C M 2002. Occurrence and significance of blueschist in the southern Lachlan Orogen, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol 49, p 255–269. Stewart I 1984. Asbestos bearing rocks in construction operations – potential hazards, Australian Geological Convention 1984 Abstracts. p 500–501. Taylor B L 1950. Asbestos in Tasmania’, Tasmanian Geological Survey Mineral Resources Report No. 9. Tasmanian Department of Mines. p 109. California Geological Survey: Asbestos http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/minerals/hazardous_minerals/asbestos/index.htm USA EPA Naturally Occurring Asbestos http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/clean.html United States Geological Survey http://www.usgs.gov The author thanks Dr Brenda Franklin and David Och for discussions and interest on the issue, and for their support over the past 12 months. TAG December 2006 | 29
Special Report Special Report ARC 2007 Grants for Earth Science Research PROJECT SUMMARY GRANT Earth's internal system: deep processes and crustal consequences. Prof SY O'Reilly; Prof WL Griffin; Dr NJ Pearson; Dr O Alard; Prof Dr K RegenauerLieb; Prof S Grand; Prof S Chung; Prof J Cottin; Dr R Herrington; Prof Dr M Scambelluri; Prof Dr E Rampone; A/Prof T Stachel; Prof X Xu Administering Institution Macquarie University Outcomes will include significant new information about the structure and formation of the Earth's crust and the underlying mantle. An improved framework for interpreting the architecture of Australia and other continents will be directly relevant to exploration for worldclass economic deposits, the Earth resources on which society depends. Innovations in geochemical technology and in the integration of information from geochemistry, geophysics and geodynamics will maintain our high international profile in research relevant to National Priority 1.6 (Developing Deep Earth Resources). The project and its interaction with the minerals industry will provide advanced Postgraduate training in a field critical to Australia's future. 2007 : $230,000 2008 : $230,000 2009 : $230,000 Mantle melting dynamics and the influence of recycled components. Prof SP Turner APF Administering Institution Macquarie University This proposal is directly concerned with the continuing aim of building a sustainable Australia through knowledge of deep earth resources. The more we know about the processes of melting and melt and fluid migration the better we will be able to inform models for resource exploration and volcanic hazard mitigation. Uranium series isotopes are relevant to the very recent history of the planet (< 350,000 years) time scales which are often overlooked. Application to mantle melting as described in this proposal may also have direct application to gold exploration in the Manus basin and elsewhere. It is to these techniques we must look at if we are to understand the immediate past as a clue to the immediate future of our planet. 2007 : $ 90,000 2008 : $ 90,000 2009 : $ 95,000 Improving climate models through new insights on longterm interhemispheric climate synchronicity from speleothems. Dr RN Drysdale; Dr JC Hellstrom; Dr R Maas; Dr G Zanchetta; Prof AE Fallick; Prof G Lohmann Administering Institution The University of Newcastle It is important that palaeoclimatologists continue to improve understanding of how the Earth responds to climate forcing, so that climate models can be rigorously validated and refined. Since the Earth responds to most of this forcing over time scales that exceed the length of instrumental weather measurements, the recovery of datable palaeoclimate archives that are highly sensitive to past climate changes is essential. Our project will provide important new palaeoclimate data from both hemispheres on how key regions of the Earth responded to past climate changes. This will bring improved understanding of past oceanicatmospheric processes that can be fed into climate models, ultimately producing better forecasts to the benefit of all Australians. 2007 : $150,000 2008 : $142,000 2009 : $ 37,000 Unravelling the last great Gondwanan mystery: the first land vertebrate fauna from the tertiary of New Zealand. Dr S Hand; Prof M Archer Administering Institution The University of New South Wales This project will dramatically increase knowledge about Australia's and New Zealand's shared biodiversity and the history of transTasman dispersals. By comparing Australian and New Zealand fossil records, it will be possible to assess the speed at which evolving vertebrates of one landmass invade another, as well as the biotic consequences of such events, and provide data important for predicting and responding to future potentially damaging events of this kind. Developing understanding about the timing and intensity of antipodean faunal response to past climate change will improve ability to anticipate and manage processes that threaten ecosystem resilience in both lands. 2007 : $182,902 2008 : $171,000 2009 : $160,000 Wavebywave bedlevel changes at the beachface of gravel and sand beaches. Dr IL Turner; Dr G Masselink; Dr PE Russell Administering Institution The University of New South Wales Australia's coastline is one of this country's greatest natural, cultural and economic resources. Recent experiences internationally have shown that in a changing climate, coastal erosion is a real and growing threat to the presentday sustainability of our coasts. Innovative instrumentation developed by our team now enables fundamental erosion and accretion processes to be quantified for the first time. Working within the framework of two collaborative, fully integrated, international research programs commencing in 2007 and 2008, this study will place Australia at the forefront of breakthrough coastal research, leading to rapid advances in the scientific, engineering and operational understanding and modelling of coastal change. 2007 : $104,000 2008 : $103,000 2009 : $ 97,000 30 | TAG December 2006
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