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Wittenoom

2011-02-25T21:08:06Z

123.243.178.8: /* Legacy */

{{Infobox Australian Place | type = town
| name = Wittenoom
| state = wa
| image = WittenoomWA - Gem Shop.JPG
| caption = Wittenoom gem shop still opens its doors for tourists
| lga = [[Shire of Ashburton]]
| latd =22 |latm =15|lats =00
| longd =118|longm =20 |longs =00

| postcode = 6751
| pop = 8<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/couple-find-love-in-town-of-eight-people/story-e6frfq80-1111116524114
|title=Couple find love in town of eight people|work=News Limited|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref><ref name="mediastatements.wa.gov.au">{{cite web|url=http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Lists/Statements/DispForm.aspx?ID=127391
|title=New report into Wittenoom's asbestos risks |work=Regional Development Minister Jon Ford - Government of Western Australia|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>
| est = 1950<ref name="LandInfo WA|c|W|2007-09-10">{{LandInfo WA|c|W|2007-09-10}}</ref>
| elevation=
| maxtemp = 32.8
| mintemp = 19.7
| rainfall = 453.7
| stategov = [[Electoral district of Pilbara|Pilbara]]
| fedgov = [[Division of Durack|Durack]]
| dist1 = 140
| location1= [[Tom Price, Western Australia|Tom Price]]
}}{{coord|-22.244|118.335|type:city(10)_region:AU-WA_scale:30000|format=dms|display=title}}

'''Wittenoom''' is a [[ghost town]] located 1,106 kilometres (687 mi) north-northeast of [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]] in the [[Hamersley Range]] in the [[Pilbara region of Western Australia|Pilbara]] region of [[Western Australia]]. It is the site of Australia's greatest industrial disaster.

The area around Wittenoom was mainly pastoral until the 1930s when mining began in the area. By 1939, major mining had begun in Yampire Gorge, which was subsequently closed in 1943 when mining began in Wittenoom Gorge. In 1947 a [[company town]] was built, and by the 1950s it was the Pilbara's largest town. During the 1950s and early 60's Wittenoom was Australia's only supplier of blue asbestos, the town was shut down in 1966 due to unprofitability and growing health concerns from [[asbestos]] mining in the area.

Today, eight residents still live in the town, which receives no government services. In December 2006, the [[Government of Western Australia]] announced that the town would be degazetted, and in June 2007, Jon Ford, the Minister for Regional Development, announced that the townsite status had officially been removed. The town's name was removed from official maps and road signs and the [[Shire of Ashburton]] is able to close roads that lead to contaminated areas.

== Name ==
Wittenoom was named by [[Lang Hancock]] after [[Frank Wittenoom]], his partner in the nearby Mulga Downs Station. The land around Wittenoom was originally settled by Wittenoom's brother, politician Sir [[Edward Wittenoom|Edward Horne Wittenoom]].<ref name="LandInfo WA|c|W|2007-09-10"/> By the late 1940s there was a need for a government townsite near the mine, and the Mines Department recommended it be named Wittenoom, advising that adoption of this name was strongly urged by the local people. The name was approved in 1948, but it was not until 2 May 1950 that the townsite was officially gazetted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slp.wa.gov.au/gazette/gazette.nsf/gazlist/13890FFE168AEE76482576FD001498BE/$file/gg042.pdf|title=Western Australian Government Gazette 42, 1950 Page 974|work=State Law Publisher|accessdate=2010-11-15}}</ref> In 1951 the name was changed to Wittenoom Gorge at the request of the mining company, and in 1974 it was changed back to Wittenoom. The mine closed in 1966, and the townsite was officially abolished by gazettal in March 2007.<ref name="LandInfo WA|c|W|2007-09-10"/>

== History ==
In 1917 the Mines Department first recorded the presence of blue asbestos in the Hamersley Ranges.<ref name="HILLS7">Hills, p. 7</ref> Hancock discovered Wittenoom Gorge in the early 1930s, and in 1937 started mining [[crocidolite]] (commonly known as blue asbestos) from Yampire Gorge. By 1940, he had managed to produce 364 tonnes of asbestos.<ref name="HILLS7">Hills, p. 7</ref> Originally asbestos was taken from the hillside, crushed up in a tin shed Hancock had built on his property, put in sacks and taken by horse to the docks, 240 km away in [[Point Samson, Western Australia|Point Samson]] and sold for around ₤5 for a 100-pound bag. It took another five or six years for it to become an economic proposition.<ref name="HILLS8">Hills, p. 8</ref>

=== Boom ===
[[Image:Blue asbestos.jpg|thumb|Blue asbestos (crocidolite) from Wittenoom]]
Until the [[World War II|Second World War]] asbestos was mostly imported from [[South Africa]] and [[Canada]].<ref name="HILLS11">Hills, p. 11</ref> The Australian market for asbestos before the Second World War was worth $1 million a year, and there was export potential. Hancock has promising talks with the British, who were desperate to use asbestos as filters in gas masks, and his partners had negotiations with Johns Manville in the United States.<ref name="HILLS11">Hills, p. 11</ref> When the Second World War came asbestos was in high demand for use in tanks, planes, battleships, helmets and gasmasks. In 1943 the mine was sold to [[CSR Limited]] subsidiary, [[Australian Blue Asbestos]] Pty Ltd (ABA), where Hancock remained as manager until 1948.<ref name="HILLS16">Hills, p. 16</ref>

In 1946, the Yampire Gorge mine was closed and subsequently Wittenoom Gorge mine was opened in the same year. Production to 1956 is estimated at 590,000 tons of ore from which about 20,000 tons of asbestos were recovered. In 1947 the town of Wittenoom was built to service the nearby asbestos mine. It was built ten kilometres from the mine and mill as there was not a suitable area available to expand the original residential settlement. By 1951 the town had 150 houses and a population of over 500.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 5|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

In 1948 CSR took over the asbestos project at Wittenoom as the parent company of ABA.<ref name="HILLS17">Hills, p. 17</ref> From 1950 until the early 1960s Wittenoom was Australia's only supplier of asbestos with 161,000 tonnes being mined from 1943 to 1966. In an internal report recommending the mine's closure in 1966, one of CSR's own executives admits '...no thourough investigation of the deposit at Wittenoom was made'.<ref name="HILLS21">Hills, p. 21</ref> For most of the years CSR mined asbestos, the operation lost money. It struggled into profit for the five years from 1956, and then only by making its workforce work two and even three shifts a day. When the mine closed it had an accumulated debt of around $2.5 million.<ref name="HILLS21">Hills, p. 21</ref>

=== Health Concerns ===
[[Image:Mine Tailings - Wittenoom WA.JPG|thumb|Tailings from the mine near Wittenoom township]]
In 1944 Mines Inspector Adams reported on the dust menace at Wittenoom and discussed the need to reduce dust levels, and the WA Assistant State Mining Engineer reported on the dangers of the dust being generated at Wittenoom. The first case of asbestosis at Wittenoom occurred in 1946, although was not conclusively diagnosed until much later. In 1948 Dr Eric Saint, a Government Medical Officer, wrote to the head of the Health Department of WA. He warned of the dust levels in the mine and mill, the lack of extractors and the dangers of asbestos and risk of asbestosis, and advised the mine would produce the greatest crop of asbestosis the world has ever seen. He also advised the Wittenoom Mine Management that asbestos is extremely dangerous and that men exposed would contract chest disease inside six months.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 13|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

Dr Jim McNulty, who was working for the Health Department of WA, provided a first hand account of the work conditions he observed when he visited Wittenoom to do a clinical examination in 1959 (Australian Safety News, May 1995). He reported: “It was generally dirty and dusty, there were clumps of asbestos all over the floor and one's clothing was rapidly soiled by contact with any surface….. every operation in the mine was associated with dust.” Dr McNulty repeatedly warned the company's manager of the dangers to the miners and the people living in the town. Dr McNulty and the Health Department did not have the power to order CSR to close down the mine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 9|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

Between 1977 and 1992 eight studies involving air monitoring were carried out by the Health Department of WA and other authorities. There were a number of shortcomings with these studies, which meant the debate over risk to residents was not conclusively settled. Reports by the Environmental Protection Authority provide detail on the extent of the contamination. Inspection reports indicated that asbestos fibres were present in some quantity in almost every area of the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 17|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

=== Phasing down of the township ===
[[Image:Wittenoom WA - Road Sign.JPG|thumb|Wittenoom has been removed from roadsigns and maps]]
In 1978 the State Government adopted a policy of phasing down activity in the town of Wittenoom. This policy was seen as the most appropriate course of action to take in response to the widespread contamination of crocidolite in and around the town. The policy encouraged residents to relocate out of Wittenoom voluntarily, through the purchase of their homes, business and property and included a contribution to their relocation costs. The Shire of Asburton and many local residents were opposed to closing the town, they lobbied hard to have the town cleaned up and developed as a tourist attraction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 19|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

In 1981 the Government re-affirmed its policy for phasing out Wittenoom and initiated planning for a new tourist resort. In 1984 the policy was modified by the Government to ensure the existing State Government facilities and the Fortescue Hotel were maintained until alternatives were available. Up until the end of 1991 over $1.4 million was spent under the phasing down policy, with the result that the population of Wittenoom fell from over 90 in May 1984 to about 45 in March 1992. Between 1986 and 1992 around 50 houses and other buildings were demolished by the Government. When the population decreased, the school, nursing post and police station were closed, with alternative services being provided primarily from Tom Price. In 1993 the airport was officially closed and the Government advised the Wittenoom residents they would not be forced to leave, but new residents would not be encouraged to the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 20|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref> A number of estimates on the cost and possible methods of rehabilitating Wittenoom and nearby mine sites were produced by organisations such as the Shire of Ashburton, the Department of Minerals and Energy and the Environmental Protection Authority.<ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 18">{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 18|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

In 1993 the Government commissioned CMPS&F Environmental to undertake a feasibility study for cleaning up the town site. The study found there was still extensive contamination, after approximately fifteen years during which attempts were made to clean up the town. The final report proposed a clean up involving removal of 100mm of contaminated top soil and replacement by gravel capping under strict guidelines. The cost was estimated at $2.43 million and suggested the town could be developed further after clean up.
A systematic clean up of the town was not undertaken. Members of the Interdepartmental Committee on Wittenoom believed it was unlikely the town could be satisfactorily cleaned up and the benefits of attempting to clean up the town were not in proportion to the costs, or the risks involved. The legal implications of encouraging people to live in a town contaminated with crocidolite (even after clean up) were enormous. If residents or visitors contracted an asbestos related disease at some point in the future, it was very likely they might initiate legal action against the Government or organisations involved in such a project.<ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 18"/>

=== Current situation ===
[[Image:Govt Warning - Wittenoom WA.JPG|thumb|The state government warns people not to visit Wittenoom]]
A small number of residents still remained in early 2006, defying the [[Government of Western Australia]]'s removal of services and stated intention to demolish the town. On 30 June 2006, the Government turned off the power grid to Wittenoom.<ref name="Department of Environment and Conservation">{{cite web|url=https://secure.dec.wa.gov.au/contSites/index.cfm?MODULE=publicSearch|title=Search for Known Contaminated Sites|author=Department of Environment and Conservation|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref><ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 22">{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 22|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

A report by consultants GHD and [[Parsons Brinckerhoff]] in November 2006 evaluated the continuing risks associated with asbestos contamination in the town and surrounding areas and classed the risk to visitors as medium and to residents as extreme.<ref name="Department of Environment and Conservation"/><ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 22"/>
In December 2006, Minister for the Pilbara and Regional Development Jon Ford announced that Wittenoom's status as a town would be removed, and in June 2007, he announced that the townsite status was officially removed.<ref name="mediastatements.wa.gov.au"/>

Both the Department of Health and an accredited contaminated sites auditor reviewed the report, with the latter finding that the detected presence of free asbestos fibres in surface soils from sampled locations presented an unacceptable public health risk. The auditor recommended that the former townsite and other impacted areas defined in the report be classified as "Contaminated - Remediation Required". The [[Department of Environment and Conservation (Western Australia)|Department of Environment and Conservation]] subsequently classified Wittenoom as a contaminated site under the Contaminated Sites Act 2003 on 28 January 2008.<ref name="Department of Environment and Conservation"/><ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 22"/>

However, opinion is not unanimous on the danger posed. [[Mark Nevill]], a geologist and former [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] MLC for the [[electoral region of Mining and Pastoral|Mining and Pastoral]] district, said in an interview in 2004 that the asbestos levels in the town were below the detection level of most equipment, and the real danger is located in the gorge itself which contains the mine tailings. Residents operate a camping ground, guesthouse and gem shop for passing tourists.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1259219.htm|title=Wittenoom's diehard residents stay put|last=O'Donnell|first=Mick|work=[[The 7.30 Report]]|date=6 December 2004|accessdate=2008-02-15}}</ref>

== Workforce ==
The climate at Wittenoom is hot and humid in summer, which made working conditions in the poorly ventilated, dusty mine and mill even more uncomfortable. Many workers often stayed in the town for short periods only. Although around 200 people were employed at a time, approximately 7,000 workers drifted through the mine in the 23 years of its operation. Nearly half these workers stayed less than three months. CSR had problems attracting workers to the mine and mill, and in 1951 wrote to the Department of Immigration asking for help. CSR sent representatives to European countries, such as Italy, to recruit workers. Many European immigrants unable to find work in their own country signed a two-year contract with CSR to work at the Wittenoom mine and mill. They were unable to leave Wittenoom before the end of their contract unless they paid back CSR their fare, which for most was impossible.<ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 10">{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 10|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

Working conditions during the operation of the mines and mill at Wittenoom were extremely poor, especially in comparison to those of the 1990s. The biggest problem was the asbestos dust comprising small airborne asbestos fibres. Employees worked continuously amongst the asbestos dust in the poorly ventilated mine and mill, usually without effective personal protective breathing equipment. Safe working practices and systems of work were not evident.<ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 10"/>

== Legacy ==
[[Image:Wittenoom - Doc Holidays.JPG|thumb|Doc Holidays cafe (abandoned) at the entrance to the town]]
Six thousand five hundred males and 500 females were employed by the Australian Blue Asbestos Company in the mining and milling of crocidolite at Wittenoom between 1943 and 1966. This cohort has been traced periodically for vital status and cause of death since 1975. By 1986 there had been 85 deaths from malignant mesothelioma. No such deaths occurred within ten years of first exposure to crocidolite. A survey of dustiness in the industry conducted in 1966 has provided a basis for estimates of cumulative crocidolite exposure of the members of the cohort. Exposure-response relationships have been examined. Mesothelioma incidence rates increase exponentially with time since first exposure and also increase with intensity of exposure to crocidolite. Mathematical modelling of the relationship between mesothelioma incidence and intensity of exposure, duration of exposure and time since first exposure results in an estimate of up to 700 cases of mesothelioma in this cohort by the year 2020.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=A.W. Musk |author2=N.H. de Klerk |author3=J.L. Eccles |author4=M.S.T. Hobbs |year=1993 |title=Mesothelioma: the Wittenoom experience |journal=Lung Cancer |publisher=Elsevier Ireland Ltd |volume=9 |issue=1-6 |pages=405–408 |url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T9C-4C47SWS-1S/2/634de0169367c8db7d0e13514da5d711 |doi=10.1016/0169-5002(93)90698-W }}</ref>

The 1990 [[Midnight Oil]] song, "[[Blue Sky Mine]]" and its album ''[[Blue Sky Mining]]'', was inspired by the town and its mining industry,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3992 |title=Blue Sky Mine by Midnight Oil |publisher=Songfacts |accessdate=2007-09-10}}</ref> as were ''He Fades Away'' and ''Blue Murder'' by [[Alistair Hulett]]. The town and its history are also featured in the novel [[Dirt Music]] by [[Tim Winton]].

Digital Poet [[Jason Nelson]] created the work Wittenoom: speculative shell and the cancerous breeze, an interactive exploration of the town's death. It won the Newcastle Poetry Prize in 2009. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.secrettechnology.com/wittenoom/starthere.html |title=from Secrettechnology.com }}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Commons category|Wittenoom, Western Australia}}
{{reflist|2}}

== References ==
* Hills, Ben (1989). Blue Murder: Two thousand doomed to die - the shocking truth about Wittenoom's deadly dust. South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Sun Books.

== External links ==
* [http://www.wa.gov.au/wittenoom Wittenoom Information] (Western Australian Government)
* [http://asbestosdiseases.org.au/asbestosinfo/wittenoom_tragedies.htm The Asbestos Disease Society of Australia]

{{Towns in the Shire of Ashburton}}
{{Towns Pilbara WA}}

[[Category:Ghost towns in Western Australia]]
[[Category:Towns in Western Australia]]
[[Category:Asbestos]]
[[Category:Mining towns in Western Australia]]
[[Category:Pilbara region of Western Australia]]
[[Category:1960s establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Hamersley Range]]

[[sv:Wittenoom]]

Wittenoom

2011-02-25T21:05:54Z

123.243.178.8: /* Legacy */

{{Infobox Australian Place | type = town
| name = Wittenoom
| state = wa
| image = WittenoomWA - Gem Shop.JPG
| caption = Wittenoom gem shop still opens its doors for tourists
| lga = [[Shire of Ashburton]]
| latd =22 |latm =15|lats =00
| longd =118|longm =20 |longs =00

| postcode = 6751
| pop = 8<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/couple-find-love-in-town-of-eight-people/story-e6frfq80-1111116524114
|title=Couple find love in town of eight people|work=News Limited|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref><ref name="mediastatements.wa.gov.au">{{cite web|url=http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Lists/Statements/DispForm.aspx?ID=127391
|title=New report into Wittenoom's asbestos risks |work=Regional Development Minister Jon Ford - Government of Western Australia|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>
| est = 1950<ref name="LandInfo WA|c|W|2007-09-10">{{LandInfo WA|c|W|2007-09-10}}</ref>
| elevation=
| maxtemp = 32.8
| mintemp = 19.7
| rainfall = 453.7
| stategov = [[Electoral district of Pilbara|Pilbara]]
| fedgov = [[Division of Durack|Durack]]
| dist1 = 140
| location1= [[Tom Price, Western Australia|Tom Price]]
}}{{coord|-22.244|118.335|type:city(10)_region:AU-WA_scale:30000|format=dms|display=title}}

'''Wittenoom''' is a [[ghost town]] located 1,106 kilometres (687 mi) north-northeast of [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]] in the [[Hamersley Range]] in the [[Pilbara region of Western Australia|Pilbara]] region of [[Western Australia]]. It is the site of Australia's greatest industrial disaster.

The area around Wittenoom was mainly pastoral until the 1930s when mining began in the area. By 1939, major mining had begun in Yampire Gorge, which was subsequently closed in 1943 when mining began in Wittenoom Gorge. In 1947 a [[company town]] was built, and by the 1950s it was the Pilbara's largest town. During the 1950s and early 60's Wittenoom was Australia's only supplier of blue asbestos, the town was shut down in 1966 due to unprofitability and growing health concerns from [[asbestos]] mining in the area.

Today, eight residents still live in the town, which receives no government services. In December 2006, the [[Government of Western Australia]] announced that the town would be degazetted, and in June 2007, Jon Ford, the Minister for Regional Development, announced that the townsite status had officially been removed. The town's name was removed from official maps and road signs and the [[Shire of Ashburton]] is able to close roads that lead to contaminated areas.

== Name ==
Wittenoom was named by [[Lang Hancock]] after [[Frank Wittenoom]], his partner in the nearby Mulga Downs Station. The land around Wittenoom was originally settled by Wittenoom's brother, politician Sir [[Edward Wittenoom|Edward Horne Wittenoom]].<ref name="LandInfo WA|c|W|2007-09-10"/> By the late 1940s there was a need for a government townsite near the mine, and the Mines Department recommended it be named Wittenoom, advising that adoption of this name was strongly urged by the local people. The name was approved in 1948, but it was not until 2 May 1950 that the townsite was officially gazetted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slp.wa.gov.au/gazette/gazette.nsf/gazlist/13890FFE168AEE76482576FD001498BE/$file/gg042.pdf|title=Western Australian Government Gazette 42, 1950 Page 974|work=State Law Publisher|accessdate=2010-11-15}}</ref> In 1951 the name was changed to Wittenoom Gorge at the request of the mining company, and in 1974 it was changed back to Wittenoom. The mine closed in 1966, and the townsite was officially abolished by gazettal in March 2007.<ref name="LandInfo WA|c|W|2007-09-10"/>

== History ==
In 1917 the Mines Department first recorded the presence of blue asbestos in the Hamersley Ranges.<ref name="HILLS7">Hills, p. 7</ref> Hancock discovered Wittenoom Gorge in the early 1930s, and in 1937 started mining [[crocidolite]] (commonly known as blue asbestos) from Yampire Gorge. By 1940, he had managed to produce 364 tonnes of asbestos.<ref name="HILLS7">Hills, p. 7</ref> Originally asbestos was taken from the hillside, crushed up in a tin shed Hancock had built on his property, put in sacks and taken by horse to the docks, 240 km away in [[Point Samson, Western Australia|Point Samson]] and sold for around ₤5 for a 100-pound bag. It took another five or six years for it to become an economic proposition.<ref name="HILLS8">Hills, p. 8</ref>

=== Boom ===
[[Image:Blue asbestos.jpg|thumb|Blue asbestos (crocidolite) from Wittenoom]]
Until the [[World War II|Second World War]] asbestos was mostly imported from [[South Africa]] and [[Canada]].<ref name="HILLS11">Hills, p. 11</ref> The Australian market for asbestos before the Second World War was worth $1 million a year, and there was export potential. Hancock has promising talks with the British, who were desperate to use asbestos as filters in gas masks, and his partners had negotiations with Johns Manville in the United States.<ref name="HILLS11">Hills, p. 11</ref> When the Second World War came asbestos was in high demand for use in tanks, planes, battleships, helmets and gasmasks. In 1943 the mine was sold to [[CSR Limited]] subsidiary, [[Australian Blue Asbestos]] Pty Ltd (ABA), where Hancock remained as manager until 1948.<ref name="HILLS16">Hills, p. 16</ref>

In 1946, the Yampire Gorge mine was closed and subsequently Wittenoom Gorge mine was opened in the same year. Production to 1956 is estimated at 590,000 tons of ore from which about 20,000 tons of asbestos were recovered. In 1947 the town of Wittenoom was built to service the nearby asbestos mine. It was built ten kilometres from the mine and mill as there was not a suitable area available to expand the original residential settlement. By 1951 the town had 150 houses and a population of over 500.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 5|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

In 1948 CSR took over the asbestos project at Wittenoom as the parent company of ABA.<ref name="HILLS17">Hills, p. 17</ref> From 1950 until the early 1960s Wittenoom was Australia's only supplier of asbestos with 161,000 tonnes being mined from 1943 to 1966. In an internal report recommending the mine's closure in 1966, one of CSR's own executives admits '...no thourough investigation of the deposit at Wittenoom was made'.<ref name="HILLS21">Hills, p. 21</ref> For most of the years CSR mined asbestos, the operation lost money. It struggled into profit for the five years from 1956, and then only by making its workforce work two and even three shifts a day. When the mine closed it had an accumulated debt of around $2.5 million.<ref name="HILLS21">Hills, p. 21</ref>

=== Health Concerns ===
[[Image:Mine Tailings - Wittenoom WA.JPG|thumb|Tailings from the mine near Wittenoom township]]
In 1944 Mines Inspector Adams reported on the dust menace at Wittenoom and discussed the need to reduce dust levels, and the WA Assistant State Mining Engineer reported on the dangers of the dust being generated at Wittenoom. The first case of asbestosis at Wittenoom occurred in 1946, although was not conclusively diagnosed until much later. In 1948 Dr Eric Saint, a Government Medical Officer, wrote to the head of the Health Department of WA. He warned of the dust levels in the mine and mill, the lack of extractors and the dangers of asbestos and risk of asbestosis, and advised the mine would produce the greatest crop of asbestosis the world has ever seen. He also advised the Wittenoom Mine Management that asbestos is extremely dangerous and that men exposed would contract chest disease inside six months.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 13|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

Dr Jim McNulty, who was working for the Health Department of WA, provided a first hand account of the work conditions he observed when he visited Wittenoom to do a clinical examination in 1959 (Australian Safety News, May 1995). He reported: “It was generally dirty and dusty, there were clumps of asbestos all over the floor and one's clothing was rapidly soiled by contact with any surface….. every operation in the mine was associated with dust.” Dr McNulty repeatedly warned the company's manager of the dangers to the miners and the people living in the town. Dr McNulty and the Health Department did not have the power to order CSR to close down the mine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 9|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

Between 1977 and 1992 eight studies involving air monitoring were carried out by the Health Department of WA and other authorities. There were a number of shortcomings with these studies, which meant the debate over risk to residents was not conclusively settled. Reports by the Environmental Protection Authority provide detail on the extent of the contamination. Inspection reports indicated that asbestos fibres were present in some quantity in almost every area of the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 17|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

=== Phasing down of the township ===
[[Image:Wittenoom WA - Road Sign.JPG|thumb|Wittenoom has been removed from roadsigns and maps]]
In 1978 the State Government adopted a policy of phasing down activity in the town of Wittenoom. This policy was seen as the most appropriate course of action to take in response to the widespread contamination of crocidolite in and around the town. The policy encouraged residents to relocate out of Wittenoom voluntarily, through the purchase of their homes, business and property and included a contribution to their relocation costs. The Shire of Asburton and many local residents were opposed to closing the town, they lobbied hard to have the town cleaned up and developed as a tourist attraction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 19|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

In 1981 the Government re-affirmed its policy for phasing out Wittenoom and initiated planning for a new tourist resort. In 1984 the policy was modified by the Government to ensure the existing State Government facilities and the Fortescue Hotel were maintained until alternatives were available. Up until the end of 1991 over $1.4 million was spent under the phasing down policy, with the result that the population of Wittenoom fell from over 90 in May 1984 to about 45 in March 1992. Between 1986 and 1992 around 50 houses and other buildings were demolished by the Government. When the population decreased, the school, nursing post and police station were closed, with alternative services being provided primarily from Tom Price. In 1993 the airport was officially closed and the Government advised the Wittenoom residents they would not be forced to leave, but new residents would not be encouraged to the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 20|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref> A number of estimates on the cost and possible methods of rehabilitating Wittenoom and nearby mine sites were produced by organisations such as the Shire of Ashburton, the Department of Minerals and Energy and the Environmental Protection Authority.<ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 18">{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 18|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

In 1993 the Government commissioned CMPS&F Environmental to undertake a feasibility study for cleaning up the town site. The study found there was still extensive contamination, after approximately fifteen years during which attempts were made to clean up the town. The final report proposed a clean up involving removal of 100mm of contaminated top soil and replacement by gravel capping under strict guidelines. The cost was estimated at $2.43 million and suggested the town could be developed further after clean up.
A systematic clean up of the town was not undertaken. Members of the Interdepartmental Committee on Wittenoom believed it was unlikely the town could be satisfactorily cleaned up and the benefits of attempting to clean up the town were not in proportion to the costs, or the risks involved. The legal implications of encouraging people to live in a town contaminated with crocidolite (even after clean up) were enormous. If residents or visitors contracted an asbestos related disease at some point in the future, it was very likely they might initiate legal action against the Government or organisations involved in such a project.<ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 18"/>

=== Current situation ===
[[Image:Govt Warning - Wittenoom WA.JPG|thumb|The state government warns people not to visit Wittenoom]]
A small number of residents still remained in early 2006, defying the [[Government of Western Australia]]'s removal of services and stated intention to demolish the town. On 30 June 2006, the Government turned off the power grid to Wittenoom.<ref name="Department of Environment and Conservation">{{cite web|url=https://secure.dec.wa.gov.au/contSites/index.cfm?MODULE=publicSearch|title=Search for Known Contaminated Sites|author=Department of Environment and Conservation|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref><ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 22">{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 22|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

A report by consultants GHD and [[Parsons Brinckerhoff]] in November 2006 evaluated the continuing risks associated with asbestos contamination in the town and surrounding areas and classed the risk to visitors as medium and to residents as extreme.<ref name="Department of Environment and Conservation"/><ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 22"/>
In December 2006, Minister for the Pilbara and Regional Development Jon Ford announced that Wittenoom's status as a town would be removed, and in June 2007, he announced that the townsite status was officially removed.<ref name="mediastatements.wa.gov.au"/>

Both the Department of Health and an accredited contaminated sites auditor reviewed the report, with the latter finding that the detected presence of free asbestos fibres in surface soils from sampled locations presented an unacceptable public health risk. The auditor recommended that the former townsite and other impacted areas defined in the report be classified as "Contaminated - Remediation Required". The [[Department of Environment and Conservation (Western Australia)|Department of Environment and Conservation]] subsequently classified Wittenoom as a contaminated site under the Contaminated Sites Act 2003 on 28 January 2008.<ref name="Department of Environment and Conservation"/><ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 22"/>

However, opinion is not unanimous on the danger posed. [[Mark Nevill]], a geologist and former [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] MLC for the [[electoral region of Mining and Pastoral|Mining and Pastoral]] district, said in an interview in 2004 that the asbestos levels in the town were below the detection level of most equipment, and the real danger is located in the gorge itself which contains the mine tailings. Residents operate a camping ground, guesthouse and gem shop for passing tourists.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1259219.htm|title=Wittenoom's diehard residents stay put|last=O'Donnell|first=Mick|work=[[The 7.30 Report]]|date=6 December 2004|accessdate=2008-02-15}}</ref>

== Workforce ==
The climate at Wittenoom is hot and humid in summer, which made working conditions in the poorly ventilated, dusty mine and mill even more uncomfortable. Many workers often stayed in the town for short periods only. Although around 200 people were employed at a time, approximately 7,000 workers drifted through the mine in the 23 years of its operation. Nearly half these workers stayed less than three months. CSR had problems attracting workers to the mine and mill, and in 1951 wrote to the Department of Immigration asking for help. CSR sent representatives to European countries, such as Italy, to recruit workers. Many European immigrants unable to find work in their own country signed a two-year contract with CSR to work at the Wittenoom mine and mill. They were unable to leave Wittenoom before the end of their contract unless they paid back CSR their fare, which for most was impossible.<ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 10">{{cite web|url=http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The%20wittenoom%20disaster%20review.pdf|title=The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 10|work=Safetyline Institute|accessdate=2010-11-14}}</ref>

Working conditions during the operation of the mines and mill at Wittenoom were extremely poor, especially in comparison to those of the 1990s. The biggest problem was the asbestos dust comprising small airborne asbestos fibres. Employees worked continuously amongst the asbestos dust in the poorly ventilated mine and mill, usually without effective personal protective breathing equipment. Safe working practices and systems of work were not evident.<ref name="The Wittenoom Disaster. Page 10"/>

== Legacy ==
[[Image:Wittenoom - Doc Holidays.JPG|thumb|Doc Holidays cafe (abandoned) at the entrance to the town]]
Six thousand five hundred males and 500 females were employed by the Australian Blue Asbestos Company in the mining and milling of crocidolite at Wittenoom between 1943 and 1966. This cohort has been traced periodically for vital status and cause of death since 1975. By 1986 there had been 85 deaths from malignant mesothelioma. No such deaths occurred within ten years of first exposure to crocidolite. A survey of dustiness in the industry conducted in 1966 has provided a basis for estimates of cumulative crocidolite exposure of the members of the cohort. Exposure-response relationships have been examined. Mesothelioma incidence rates increase exponentially with time since first exposure and also increase with intensity of exposure to crocidolite. Mathematical modelling of the relationship between mesothelioma incidence and intensity of exposure, duration of exposure and time since first exposure results in an estimate of up to 700 cases of mesothelioma in this cohort by the year 2020.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=A.W. Musk |author2=N.H. de Klerk |author3=J.L. Eccles |author4=M.S.T. Hobbs |year=1993 |title=Mesothelioma: the Wittenoom experience |journal=Lung Cancer |publisher=Elsevier Ireland Ltd |volume=9 |issue=1-6 |pages=405–408 |url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T9C-4C47SWS-1S/2/634de0169367c8db7d0e13514da5d711 |doi=10.1016/0169-5002(93)90698-W }}</ref>

The 1990 [[Midnight Oil]] song, "[[Blue Sky Mine]]" and its album ''[[Blue Sky Mining]]'', was inspired by the town and its mining industry,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3992 |title=Blue Sky Mine by Midnight Oil |publisher=Songfacts |accessdate=2007-09-10}}</ref> as were ''He Fades Away'' and ''Blue Murder'' by [[Alistair Hulett]]. The town and its history are also featured in the novel [[Dirt Music]] by [[Tim Winton]].

Digital Poet [[Jason Nelson]] created the work Wittenoom: speculative shell and the cancerous breeze, an interactive exploration of the town's death. It won the Newcastle Poetry Prize in 2009. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.secrettechnology.com/wittenoom/starthere.html}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Commons category|Wittenoom, Western Australia}}
{{reflist|2}}

== References ==
* Hills, Ben (1989). Blue Murder: Two thousand doomed to die - the shocking truth about Wittenoom's deadly dust. South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Sun Books.

== External links ==
* [http://www.wa.gov.au/wittenoom Wittenoom Information] (Western Australian Government)
* [http://asbestosdiseases.org.au/asbestosinfo/wittenoom_tragedies.htm The Asbestos Disease Society of Australia]

{{Towns in the Shire of Ashburton}}
{{Towns Pilbara WA}}

[[Category:Ghost towns in Western Australia]]
[[Category:Towns in Western Australia]]
[[Category:Asbestos]]
[[Category:Mining towns in Western Australia]]
[[Category:Pilbara region of Western Australia]]
[[Category:1960s establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Hamersley Range]]

[[sv:Wittenoom]]