Australia's Secret Chernobyl 

It's wrong on so many levels that a company is directly involved in the deaths of so many people, and the punishment is just a tiny portion of their revenue.

The government really needs to hold CSR accountable for their problems, first by giving compensation to mesothelioma victims from their asbestos mine, which they already seem to have done, but also by being forced to pay to clean up the mess that they left behind in Wittenoom. It baffles me how a company can just leave toxic substances strewn around and not have to clean up after themselves.

My family immigrated from Europe to Wittenoom after the war, my Dad, Aunt and Uncle were all born here and used to play in the tailings when they were kids. Their dad was the town baker but had also worked in the mine for several years. He died of Mesothelioma the year before I was born and my uncle died of it in the late 90's. Due to the high risk Dad, my aunt and Nan have to be tested every 6 months just in case they also develop it.

I’m an Australian born and raised in Broome with friends and family in Kalgoorlie, and I’m honestly amazed I had never even heard of Wittenoom, let alone realised just how close it was to my home town

Just a reminder folks if you're thinking of boycotting CSR sugar products in the supermarket, that this is now a "different" CSR to the company in this video. They were originally one & the same. They originally started in sugar in Queensland's colonial days (the name stands for Colonial Sugar Refineries), but later got in to mining, construction & producing building materials (like Asbestos panels!!) This proved to be more profitable than sugar so they sold off their entire sugar business to singapore-based company Wilmar International in 2010. Wilmar kept the CSR name because of its enormous brand value, at least in the supermarkets. So when you buy CSR sugar, your money is still supporting the Australian sugar industry & its workers. The profits might be going to Singapore, but maybe that's better than to the shareholders & executives of the real CSR of today.

I've never heard of this, and I live in Australia. Absolutely devastating and disgusting that it was been covered up

My mum was there as a 4 year old in the 1940s. I went there in the seventies. She died of asbestos cancer , only a few weeks after her diagnosis. Makes me so angry I lost my mum who was so healthy and living her best life. She wasted away to nothing in weeks. Miss her forever ❤

A crazy thing is, this town is likely much more deadly still today than Chernobyl's exclusion zone, which you can freely book tours through and is still inhabited by a few very stubborn people. Afaik, the population is even rising again Really puts into perspective just how dangerous asbestos is

These videos are so good. I would honestly pay for a feature length dokumentary in this style.

As an Indigenous American, just wanted to let people know that too many journalists ignore how Indigenous communities are impacted by hazards like these. Showing an indigenous elder speak for his community is exactly what Allyship (and good journalism) needs to do

I assumed this disaster was better known, having learned of it from Midnight Oil's 1990 song Blue Sky Mine. As an American, taking the time to unpack the lessons in their lyrics has been a master class in the real history and culture of Australia.

In 1979 we went on a high school-sponsored bus trip up to Broome. Along the way, we camped at Whittnoom and I can remember us playing sliding down the tailings. Teachers and tour guides did not mention that the site was dangerous at all. It is appalling that they still haven't cleared it up after all this time.

The entire state of Western Australia is covered with up to four types of asbestos, and in most situations its very safe, because its layered underground. Mining exposes it and makes it dry out causing it to become airborne. As someone trained to remove asbestos safely, i know of two companies that just buried the asbestos out of sight. One being Alcoa in 2008, and i know because I was on the removal team.

The Western Australian government won't remediate the former town because it was complicit along with the former minesite owner, Colonial Sugar Refining Company of the contamination of the site. The government didn't legislate for CSR to adhere to any form of environmental controls during the operation of the mine and turned a blind eye as the contamination was being carried out. Now due to the prohibitive cost of remediation, the government have decided that an 'out of sight out of mind' approach is the best solution. If you were to contaminate a small area no larger than a single housing block without the government being complicit, they would prosecute you to the highest level, but when they're complicit in the process it's a different story, then it becomes okay.

Australian band Midnight Oil wrote a really good song about Wittenoom, CSR and asbestos mining. The song is called Blue Sky Mine.

I went to Wittenoom in 1986 and there were still quite a lot of people living in the town. I drove up the gorge to the mine, I recall the mineral to be more fibrous than dusty, but that's memory. I worked in the steel industry back then and still do, we used asbestos in both sheet form and its soft, soapy, fluffy form for electrical and heat insulation. To this day we still find and remove asbestos. My bathroom and kitchen in my house are still lined in asbestos sheeting. I have worked with numerous men that have Mesothelioma, two presently. We are nowhere near the end of this story.

It's outrageous that neither the company nor the Australian government is willing to take measures cleaning up or at least sealing the asbestos. Millions aren't that bad, I thought it would be billions rather... Now, the poisonous dust will continue to spread. And I can hardly imagine the pain for the indigenous people who lost their land, their holy places, their home, because one company destroyed it and made it uninhabitable.

The production quality of these videos is unreal, genuinely some of the best work on this website. And thanks for spreading stories from my country - the more people who hear about this kind of stuff the less likely it is to happen again

I went to this ghost town in 2021 and met Lorraine, it's a very interesting place. She was in complete denial about the adverse health effects of asbestos, although it's pretty incredible that she didn't appear to have any illnesses despite living there for over 40 years.

Drove through there last year, you can get to it easily. Bumpy dusty road that is constantly destroyed by an iron ore mine very close by - Rio Tinto. They don't manage the road very well so it was the dustiest drive we've ever done. Today, many of our house fences here in the cities (Perth) still have their asbestos fences and ceiling eaves built from asbestos sheets. They crack apart and will release dust if you drill into them. So there's a lot of training around that HOWEVER... it costs an absolute fortune for me to pay specialist removalists to remove them from our properties. So, we simply don't remove them unless an insurance incident such as a storm blows them down. It costs so so much to remove it, the government should be taking control of the costs to remove it for us - it wasn't us who installed them. Many people don't realise that silica dust is really bad as well - this is mined all day every day in Iron Ore pits, it's no bloody different. My Dad died of lung cancer, more than half of his shift of workers (He worked with for over 30 years) have lung cancer and they all worked at BHP Iron Ore in Port Hedland (Close to Wittenoom). One day, I hope.. many years in the future I'll be able to fight for the life my Dad lost from being exposed to dusts that are silent killers.

Typical. A company makes a lot of money from a wonder material. The wonder material is found to be toxic. The people, who have a voice, are given meager compensation. The environment, without a voice, is ignored. I can't believe how many stories there are like this. We really need to change the law to better protect our environment. The clean up cost shouldn't be an excuse for inaction. I'm sure CSR made that amount of money,or more, from selling asbestos. Hold them accountable!

It always breaks my heart to hear about companies prioritizing their profits over people's lives ... it's terrifying how disgusting humans can be

I was driving from Karijini National Park to Port Hedland in 2016 and accidentally took a wrong turn and ended up going through Wittenoom. I put my AC on recirculation, wound up the windows and just gunned it through the town. Didn’t want to stick around. I don’t think i was exposed. But Asbestos is throughout the built environment in Australia as it was only banned in 2003. Most fences of the period until 1990 were asbestos and it was used to add strength to concrete, packaging for asbestos (hessian sacks) were repurposed as carpet backing/underlay. I think I would be more likely to have been exposed in those circumstances than my accidental detour.

Thank you for your time in putting this video together. As an Australian we (stupidly) often think our government (and companies) are too dumb to be this dumb. Unfortunately, as your video shows, we're as capable of utter, mind blowing stupidly than any other country. Just sad, particularly for all the families that lived there. 👍🇦🇺

What makes me mad is the fact that when we walk down the supermarket aisle to buy sugar, CSR is still there, dominating all other brands. How is it possible that CSR was allowed to keep operating after committing mass-murder?

"They begin to mine a blue mineral" Oh... oh no...

5:02 - Asbestos filters in cigarettes... my father worked for Johns-Manville for 42 years. About 1963 he had been smoking since he was 15 or about 18 years at that point. JM put out material that showed that working with asbestos products were very, VERY bad for you if you smoked since smoking shut down the mechanisms for expelling nasty things from your lungs, and offered to help in any way to get the employee to stop smoking. My dad put down his cigarette that day and never picked on up again...

I tried to find a news article from the 80s or 90s in Perth, where the offices of the asbestos disease society were robbed of case files for those who were suing while everyone was at the funeral of a person who passed away from asbestosis. The police never call anyone and apparently there wasn’t any evidence that would indicate that somebody had broken in. So, I think that you’ve got another video about asbestosis to investigate.

I went there when I was a kid with my dad, it was so different I have been to many abandoned places in Australia but this one just hits different. We were going to go to the mine in the gorge but when we sore the piles of tapllings we decided we didn’t want to get lung cancer. Great video it brought back memories and I had no idea what had happened there until now.

What a unique and beautiful way of animating the video. Jonas, Paul, Thomas and Nora truly made something mesmerizing in this video. Even apart from the haunting story that kept me focused for 13 minutes and 20 seconds

The reveal of what the "blue dust" really was gave me chills. The musical sting really drove it home

Having actually been to Wittenoom, It is refreshing that someone has spoken out about it.

I think it's kind of funny, how Kent found a way to make cigarettes even more deadly by putting asbestos into them 💀

This is absolutely horrifying. It’s terrifying how absolutely carelessly companies treat these workers.

We recently had work done on our house done that involved the workers needing to have us not enter our 3rd floor due to the asbestos in our attic, which had been used in our house’s construction in 1926. Later that year, my parakeet living near the 3rd floor died. We think they were related. I can’t imagine that on such a massive scale.

A similar situation is happening with silica bench tops. Silicosis has occurred amongst underground miners for many years & Government Mining Regulations used to stipulate regular medical checks including Chest Xrays, to detect the disease. Emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary (airway) Disease was very common. Breathing apparatus & extraction fans/filters underground have probably lessened the lung diseases. But in Wittenoom, people breathed, lived & played in the 'dust' everyday...😢

Asbestos cigarette filters...man the filters are supposed to make that better not worse by a order of Magnitude!

"Too expensive" since when is keeping people safe something we have to pinch pennies on? If it was a nuclear disaster, it would have been addressed, but aerosolized cancer? Oh that's fine 😒 this is why we need robust regulators states and severe punishments for people/companies that knowingly put peoples lives and safety on the chopping block for profits. Sickening.

В России, в свердловской области, ещё в 1889 году был основан город Асбест. Название города отражает его суть - добыча асбеста. И то что асбест вызывает поражение лёгких было известно с того времени. Почему правительство Австралии вообще допустило подробную ситуацию совершенно непонятно.

As a western Australian I’ve never heard of this before, it’s crazy what the government will cover up

Am I the only one who finds the voice so satisfying?

Not only the cinematography, the animation, the story telling, the voice-overlay, but the sheer amount of information in this video is insane to me. Well f'cking done, mate!

When I was a kid my parents took me on holiday camping trip which included a stop at Wittenoom Gorge. An absolutely stunning gorge with water so clear you could see straight through it. I also remember the blue asbestos rocks all around the place as well. My dad did explain the danger of it but assured me that it was only a dangerous risk in dust form (likely an understatement). Its such a shame about the health risks because the rocks are also really beautiful. It's like no other blue rock you've ever seen.

Cool video, good information, etc. but what I’m really impressed with is the visuals. This video LOOKS phenomenal. I actually can’t wait to watch it on my big TV instead of my phone. First time viewer, and I’m hooked. Kudos!

Extremely well done. A topic like many others.. of corporations getting away with a little bit of their pocket money gone, while literal thousands have died, a much larger number has had and will have their health affected, and hundreds more will likely die from it in the future.

Incredibly well done. Great story telling and hauntingly beautiful animations.

it affected miners and minors.

This situation, and the terrible aftermath, reminds me of something that happened halfway around the world in northeastern Oklahoma. Look up Pitcher, Oklahoma and "chat piles." The parallels are eerie.

This was an amazingly made documentary, props to you for your attention to detail and amazing animation. 👏

Honestly if wasn’t for the disease, asbestos was a fricking wonder material. Also CSR is very alive and well, practically unaffected by lawsuits

This should be taught in school. First time I've heard of it being Australian. History is doomed to repeat itself if we don't learn from our mistakes.

Heard never before about this. Never asked myself "Where did Asbestos come from? How was it produced?". I knew someone who died of Lung Cancer caused by Asbestos. When he was diagnosed, Doctor asked what Job with Asbestos he did because it was so clear that his cancer was caused by Asbestos.

It’s literally a thing in Australia where some buildings cannot be demolished due to the presence of asbestos

Keep this incredible quality up!

I live Australia so I found this video really interesting 👍👍👍

Asbestos took my father from me in 2015 and I miss him everyday. The story of this town breaks my heart knowing what asbestos does to a human.

Radiation will decay, eventually. Asbestos remains as it is. Never heard of this town before. I wonder by which means this substance could be brought under control, especially as the particles can be stirred up and spread everywhere by the slightest move you make... dump tons of liquid concrete onto it?

This is a good piece of education, ive been here my whole life and never heard of the site. Of course I do know asbestos, still being safely and cautiously removed from old properties today. Just hope other materials being used in construction now are not as bad.

I keep saying in cases like this, where leaders knew what they were doing, they should go to prison. These are dangerous people to society.

Ironically CSR also stands for Corporate Social Responsibility, "a business model by which companies make a concerted effort to operate in ways that enhance rather than degrade society and the environment".

i watched Literary every video you guys ever did with simplicissimus, and im not gonna lie, i think this is the best video you guys ever made. So great storytelling, so good animations

These animations are so clean and keep the audience engaged

I live in Australia, born in Rockhampton, raised in Brisbane. (Rockhampton is a small city in CQ) it’s actually astonishing that I have never heard of this throughout school. It may be a dark time for Australia, but we learnt about the dark ages.

To people who are shocked that this has happened - I'd like to inform you that you have a shit-ton of microplastic in your blood. Good luck to us all...

This was a very well done video! I had never heard of the blue type of asbestos. My uncle died of mesothelioma decades after working with the common asbestos in the US. This production was fascinating and highly frustrating. I feel so sorry for the indigenous people in the area, especially.

Australia’s news is always making my smile *upside down*

I heard "not radiation" and instantly thought "Hey Lois, asbestos!" That material is the 2nd fastest way to make everyone get outta town.

These videos are fantastic, I just adore the style. Even better, they are incredible documentaries!

You keep making better and better informational videos. Congrats!

Love the animation! Done a great job with this video I had to subscribe 🔥

If you go on google earth wittenoon its still there and google earth had them balls to have street view

Great video, I had no idea about this and I’m Australian. I’m surprised that so many of the places near this area are still open to tourists …

Thanks for making me *extremely* glad that I live in Western Australia! ❤ Jokes aside, it’s terrible to hear this story. It is devastating the the CSR DID NOT take ANY action at the time of crisis, even though they knew that the mines were dangerous. May the people of Wittenoom and anyone who died from from asbestosis Rest in Peace. Amen.

Really great production value. Informative.

This vid is so well produced! Awesome job

How professional and interesting can a documentary be? fern: Yes

Fantastic video, Fern! Very informative, already 5 minutes in! ❤

I love this animation style with 3D models of different objects and people, where you actively get an idea of the size of things.

Dieses Video ist unglaublich hochwertig. Egal ob vom Inhalt, der Animation, des Designs, des Videoschnitts oder des Sprachlichen. Wirklich beeindruckend 😮!

My grandfather was in the Army and worked somewhere in remote South Australia after the second world war. I remember seeing an old pic of him in full uniform with some aborigines with spears in full makeup and the only clothing they had just covered their privates. There was a period over about 2 years where I remember him getting phone calls where many of his friends died. When I got older I realised it had something to do with Maralinga.

Such nice and good quality. Also the graphics are so amazing ❤

I live in Sydney and went to school in the North Shore side and lots older building were found with asbestos were found in the art building but this was the white one which was less dangerous when not disturbed since it was an active building. the school had to close the building up to get rid of asbestos. This is quite recent of 2019, so thankful we have the best understanding of this dangerous substance

Ah yeah, we learnt about this in my construction class in like 2019. Genuinely horrifying knowing pretty much everyone who lived there is dead. Mining company management in WA to this day is genuinely evil.

It's always a great day when Fern uploads ❤

Such an amazing video it could have been an hour long I would have watched it at once. So extremly facinating and just great. Thank you team of fern for this viedeo.

the production quality on this is brilliant!

Another place worth reading about, similar to here is Libby, Montana. The vermiculite mine was contamiated with Tremolite asbestos which locals used for everything as well. People still live there and costs the US government millions of $'s a year to clean up.

The town hasn't been removed from official maps. The road signs were covered to stop people heading into the designated contamination area. It is tragic however that neither the Commonwealth or State governments pursued CSR to make the area safer or at least done it themselves. The dust keeps spreading mainly Eastwards, I'm sure that a much larger area than shown is highly contaminated.

Its actually a worse Situation Then chernobyl. Radioactivity is decreasing over Time at least

This is like getting a clear vision of your future and prefer to ignore it to wake up one day and just say that you are sorry but you can't do anything to change what happened

I was a kid in the 1980s when all this was happening. This was maaaaassive. Pretty much everyone who had anything to do with the mining industry knew someone who were affected or had family who were affected by this.

Great video once again. Terrible how a corporation can get away with murder by giving these families what for them is pocket change.

thank you for showing the indigenous people and their suffering! great video, i never knew

Die videos hier sind so gut wie auf eueren kanal simpli! Muss den hier öfters schaun!

Hammer Qualität! Sehr gutes Video, danke! :)

Another great video. Well done

This was a horrifying video, and very sad. Your animations and editing style are excellent. I wish the best for all of those affected, this was a painful one to listen to emotionally..

The cinematography on this is amazing. love this doc for bringing light on this subject 🙏 thank you! Your work is greatly appreciated !

I used to work at Solomon minesite, for FMG. It's only about 50 kilometers away from Wittenoom. I heard nothing about environmental testing for blue asbestos and when I bought up the subject on weekly safety toolboxes it was just ignored and not looked into at all. Beds are burning by Midnight Oil is about Wittenoom.

As an Australian I a shocked that this is my first time hearing about this and will be boycotting CSR products and encouraging my friends and family to do the same. I'm glad you shed light on the incident.