More potential Wunderlich victims have come forward in the wake of an investigation that has linked the Sunshine North site to more than 20 asbestos exposure cases.
Slater and Gordon senior asbestos lawyer Margaret Kent said the firm had received dozens of calls from current and former Sunshine North residents following reports that 16 people who lived within a 1-kilometre radius of the former Wunderlich factory on McIntyre Road had died from asbestos-related diseases.
A further eight have become seriously ill.
“We’ve had calls all day from people who grew up in Sunshine North and we’re assisting them to determine whether they have potential claims for compensation,” Ms Kent said.
“Some people appear to have developed health problems and we need to look at whether there’s a link to the Wunderlich factory.
“Sadly, we’ve also had calls from people who’ve lost loved ones and are now wondering whether their relatives may have been victims of environmental exposure.”
The Wunderlich factory was originally owned by the German Wunderlich brothers. CSR – which also owned Western Australia’s Wittenoom mine and was at the centre of one of Australia’s worst industrial and environmental disasters – ran the factory from 1969 to 1977 before selling to James Hardie. The factory ceased operations in the early 1980s.
Federal opposition leader Bill Shorten said he was appalled by the tragedy.
“The state government has to, as a matter of urgency, tell the residents what’s going on and provide all the resources necessary to put people’s minds at ease that their kids aren’t exposed,” Mr Shorten said.
“This shouldn’t have happened … nothing other than the complete truth and support for residents is satisfactory.”
Ms Kent called on CSR, which is responsible for the liabilities of the factory during the Wunderlich and CSR periods, to deal with claims without delay.
