New information from the ACT Asbestos Health Study paints a worrying picture of the strain the Mr Fluffy crisis has put on the mental health of affected homeowners in the territory.
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Much has been made of the financial costs of the ACT government's demolition scheme and the possible health risks of exposure to the deadly asbestos.
But this study now gives a strong indication that many affected homeowners have suffered serious psychological distress. The study found while most affected home owners reported relatively good health with low anxiety, some had experienced high levels of distress.
A quarter of the 1022 affected households that are part of the scheme participated in the survey.
Consideration too must go towards all of the people who have lived in and worked on these homes in the years between the installation of the asbestos in the 1970s and the current demolition scheme.
There is no doubt that some people are suffering considerably with the thought that they could have been exposed to the asbestos.
The ACT government is due credit for the way it has handled the health considerations that have arisen during the scheme.
Homeowners reported in the survey that they had been given sufficient information about the health risks of exposure to loose-fill asbestos.
However, while the government engaged with a number of community-based associations to deal with the psychological ramifications, it was a mistake not to engage Canberra's leading suicide prevention service.
Lifeline staff have dealt with highly distressed Mr Fluffy owners and the organisation has raised serious concerns about the risks to these people, including their risk of suicide.
The organisation should have been given funding support to target these homeowners from the start.
The ACT government has made positive inroads in dealing with the mental health of Canberrans and it is pleasing to see a dedicated minister, Shane Rattenbury, for the matter and the establishment of an Office for Mental Health.
But it must be said that the ACT government did not listen when warned about this particular mental health crisis and it should have.