The story of Australia’s leading advocate for asbestos disease victims will make its cinematic debut later this year.
The two-part miniseries, titled Devil’s Dust, will chronicle the life of Bernie Banton, a longtime James Hardie employee who died from asbestos exposure in 2007. Banton devoted the last years of his life working to ensure that Australian companies compensated victims for asbestos diseases such as mesothelioma.
Devil’s Dust is based on the book, Killer Company, written by journalist Matt Peacock. Peacock exposed James Hardie’s notorious history as an asbestos company that amassed a fortune while it killed thousands of workers and customers. In his book, Peacock puts a human face on the asbestos tragedy by profiling Banton.
Banton was a long-time employee at James Hardie, where he helped manufacture building products loaded with asbestos. Banton was diagnosed with asbestosis, pleural mesothelioma and pleural disease in 1999. All of Banton’s diseases are directly attributed to his working near asbestos.
James Hardie had produced asbestos products for many years in Australia. Peacock found evidence that James Hardie executives were aware of the dangers associated with asbestos by the 1960s but chose not to warn employees. In the years that followed many of the workers developed similar symptoms and James Hardie couldn’t hide from the secrets it harbored. Finally in 1983, James Hardie warned the public. The damage was already done.
Anybody who breathes in or unwittingly ingests the microscopic asbestos fibers are at risk of developing disease, such as mesothelioma. Many companies around the world failed to provide adequate safety measures to keep workers safe. Inspections of some manufacturing plants during the 1970s showed motes of asbestos dust hanging in the air. Workers ate their lunches nearby and at the end of the day endangered their loved ones by carrying the dust home on their clothing. In Peacock’s book, he told anecdotes of workers who had ‘snowball’ fights with clumps of asbestos and Aboriginal children who played in the asbestos refuse.
Banton fought for himself and his Australian cohorts against the billion-dollar companies. His work ensured that the victims received just compensation from the responsible companies. Today the Bernie Banton Foundation ensures that Banton’s legacy for advocacy for asbestos disease and mesothelioma victims continues.
Actor Anthony Hayes will play Banton in the series. Don Hany and Ewen Leslie will also appear.
Filming will begin mid-March 2012 with the series to air in Australia later in the year.