A CEMENT factory in Railton has been linked to 40 compensation cases over asbestos and respiratory illnesses, with further research set to uncover more victims.
According to the Australian Workers Union, many of the confidential cases linked to the Cement Australia factory were settled unsatisfactorily, considering the payouts achieved in larger class action cases.
3000 workers had worked on the site between 1947 and the late 1980s. More victims from this era could be uncovered by a survey being conducted by Monash University.
The slow development of asbestos-related diseases means the effects of the material on the health of those workers and their families are only now becoming obvious.
Mesothelioma diagnoses in Tasmania today are six times that of 1989, with asbestos-related deaths to continue rising until 2020.
The company presently running the site says it is taking the claims seriously and will deal with the cases as they come.
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