Wittenoom is a town in Western Australia that sprang up around a blue asbestos mine in the 1940s and '50s. Sadly, the residents were not aware that asbestos fibres could cause lung disease and cancer.




It is tragic that thousands of Wittenoom residents have since died from exposure to asbestos. These could be described as victims of ignorance.





Now, despite the fact that the mine closed in 1966 the town is still polluted. As a result, Wittenoom is almost completely deserted.