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Wittenoom was once full of life—now it stands as a haunting reminder of lost loved ones and unanswered justice.
After 60 years of inaction, Banjima Native Title along with Gordon Legal are taking those responsible to court.
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Australia’s Chernobyl
It's time to clean it up!
Australia’s Chernobyl lies within Banjima Country, in the Pilbara, Western Australia. The Banjima people have been the traditional owners of their lands for thousands of years.
Wittenoom's blue asbestos mine is the largest deadly contamination site in the southern hemisphere.
Three million tonnes of blue asbestos tailings were dumped here – enough to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to the brim twice over.
The asbestos has been left to spread by the winds and rain for 50 years.
The contamination is getting worse.
It's time to clean Wittenoom up.
Blue Death
Asbestos exposure is responsible for the world’s deadliest form of cancer – mesothelioma.
Between 1994 and 2008, Western Australian Aboriginal people had the highest mesothelioma mortality rate in the world.
Mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. There is no cure. It has the lowest survival right of any cancer. That health disaster was caused by Wittenoom.