James Watson

Australia has consumed asbestos goods like few other countries, using it throughout our built environment. Tragically, the legacy of our high level of asbestos consumption is one of the highest rates of asbestos exposure and asbestos-related disease in the world. Historian James Watson tells the complex story of our dreams of a 'magic mineral', its use and misuse, how it all went horribly wrong - and how asbestos will remain a part of Australian lives for years to come.