Seriously, how the fuck does this happen: a high-profile building commissioned by the Government (that began construction in 2013) has had to be put on hold thanks to the discovery of asbestos on the site.
1 William Street, a skyscraper being built in Brisbane that (once completed) will be the tallest building in the city at a reasonably formidable 259.8 metres high.
Asbestos was hugely popular for a while because it does a magnificent job of soundproofing, insulating electrical wiring and stopping the spread of house fires, unfortunately the dust from asbestos also just straight up destroys your lungs.
Asbestos and all products containing asbestos have been banned in Australia since 2003 and, because we’ve known for ages that it’s super fucked up, it hasn’t been used in domestic buildings since the 1980s.
The asbestos was found in some metal skirting boards and has since been removed.
Source: ABC.
