Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

The Bernie Banton Center, dedicated to improving the lives of those suffering from asbestos-related diseases, opened at Sydney Australia’s Concord Hospital. Housed inside the center is the $12 million Asbestos Disease Research Center (ADRI). At the opening, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that the Federal Government will give $5 million to the new center to aid in its endeavors.

 

The center’s main aim is to provide education, early diagnosis and treatment, and possibly even find a cure for lung diseases caused by exposure to asbestos, such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer. The Center will be linked to 11 research centers around Australia.

 

The Center was named after Bernie Banton because of his amazing efforts to fight for the rights of victims of asbestos related diseases, even when suffering and dying from one himself. Bernie was diagnosed in 1999 with asbestosis and asbestos-related pleural disease. Despite his lung capacity being reduced to 40%, Bernie began to campaign on behalf of not just himself but also others who were suffering from a disease caused by exposure. 

 

Bernie Banton had worked for a subsidiary of James Hardie from 1968 to 1974. Shortly after diagnosis, he began to campaign and fight a legal battle to establish a fund that would provide compensation to employees who contracted diseases caused by exposure to asbestos at the Hardie factories. His campaigning was essential in winning a $4 billion compensation package against James Hardie Industries. 

 

In August of 2007, Bernie was also diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. According to the National Cancer Institute, mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which cancerous cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective sac that covers most of the body's internal organs.  Peritoneal mesothelioma is an even rarer, more aggressive form of mesothelioma which affects the lining of the abdomen. All types of mesothelioma are caused by exposure to asbestos and regarded as universally fatal diseases. Until recently, treatment options have been limited and most often ineffective, with an overall median survival rate of only 1 year.  Bernie died in November of 2007. 

 

Bernie’s campaigning efforts succeeded in getting Alimta, a palliative drug used for treating mesothelioma, subsidized by the federal government, making it a more affordable option for other sufferers.

  

Many organizations and individuals helped to create the Bernie Banton Center, but none so won the hearts of the Australian people as the man whom the center is named after.   With the numbers of diagnosis for asbestos related diseases rising, perhaps the center’s research will be pivotal in finding a way to treat and stop the growth of cancers caused by exposure to asbestos.