Wittenoom - Australia's Forbidden City Where the Air Can Kill

Australia is often called one of the most extreme places on the planet. This reputation is due to the abundance of dangerous animals and the harsh climate. But there is something more threatening than natural dangers - the creation of human hands. The most terrible place on the Green Continent is the city of Wittenoom. It is not only empty, but also completely closed to visitors.

This city is not on the maps, so you have to try hard to find it. The country's authorities took such measures for safety reasons. Wittenoom has no running water, sewerage or electricity, and no one monitors the condition of the roads. Instead of road signs and pointers, there are signs on the side of the road calling for people to leave the dangerous area as quickly as possible.

Despite this, tourists who want to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of Australia in the 60s and simply feel the romance of the wastelands come to Wittenoom. The abandoned city is located in Western Australia, in a sun-scorched semi-desert with rare low mountains and sparse vegetation. In principle, a completely normal location for the continent. So why is this city prohibited to visit and what danger does it conceal?

And human activity and asbestos are to blame. The same asbestos that is used in industry, and was once used in construction. Because of this important mineral, the city of Wittenoom is considered the most dangerous place not only in Australia, but in the entire Southern Hemisphere.

Western Australia is the largest and least populated state in the country. It is comparable in area to Kazakhstan, but only 3 million people live in this huge territory. Almost all the population is concentrated along the coast, as the state's climate is too dry.

However, some people still live and work far from the ocean, right in the heart of the desert. It's all about the rich mineral wealth of Western Australia, where you can find almost the entire periodic table. Gold, tin, nickel, sapphires, gas, oil, uranium and iron ores, as well as many other minerals are mined in the desert. Asbestos deposits have also been found there.

Back in the 1930s, geologists exploring the northwestern part of the state discovered deposits of the mineral crocidolite. This name is translated from Greek as "wool stone", but it is usually called "blue asbestos". In total, there are six types of asbestos known in the world. The most common of them is chrysotile asbestos, which is actively mined all over the world.

Chrysotile is considered the only relatively safe type of asbestos, so it is widely used in construction, production of fireproof materials, mastics, putties and other products. But what is dangerous about other types of this mineral?

Asbestos consists of very fine fibers, similar to hairs. They are easily separated and carried through the air. When these particles get into the human respiratory tract, they can cause serious diseases: pneumonia, pleurisy and even lung cancer. Of course, chrysotile asbestos should also be handled with care, using protective equipment. But it is considered less dangerous than other types of asbestos. Its fibers are larger and stronger, so they are more often retained in the upper respiratory tract and excreted from the body.

But blue asbestos fibers are so thin and fragile that they easily turn into dust. Once in the lungs, they remain there forever, which is highly likely to lead to cancer. When Australians discovered deposits of this mineral at the beginning of the 20th century, its dangerous properties were not yet known. Blue asbestos seemed like a real treasure for manufacturers of construction and insulation materials.

In hot Australia, asbestos sheets were used to cover the walls and roofs of houses. The material, due to its extremely low thermal conductivity, helped to keep the rooms cool. In 1943, three mines were opened in the mountains of Western Australia, extracting crocidolite.

The place was far from populated areas, so the mining company decided to build a whole city for the miners right in the desert. It had everything necessary for a comfortable life: modern houses, shops, a hospital, two schools, a hotel, a post office, a cafe, a restaurant, several gas stations and even a racetrack. Roads were laid to the city, power lines were extended and a water supply was organized.

Affordable housing and high wages attracted many people from all over the country to Wittenoom. The population quickly grew to 20,000. An airfield was built in the town for the convenience of the miners, and soon discussions began on the possibility of building a railway from the coast.

Asbestos was the most accessible material in Wittenoom. It was used to build walls and roofs, it was sprinkled on garden paths, it was added to asphalt road surfaces. Even pipes were made with asbestos. No one suspected the dangers this material posed.

After some time, people started dying in Wittenoom. The mortality rate grew rapidly, and most often there was one cause - lung diseases and oncology. Young and healthy people suddenly fell ill and faded away literally in a matter of weeks. Unfortunately, statistics began to be collected only when the wave of deaths had already reached its peak. Because of this, not all asbestos victims were officially recorded.

According to conservative estimates by experts, over 6,000 people died in the relatively small town over 15 years. Note that this was a new miners' town, so the main population was healthy, not yet old people. Alas, this is only part of the tragedy. Thousands of seasonal workers came to the town every year, who then returned home. How many of them fell victim to the insidious mineral remains unknown - it is simply impossible to calculate such data.

The mine owners didn't care how many people were dying in the city - blue asbestos mining brought in huge profits. Local doctors began to sound the alarm, seeing the increase in mortality and unusual symptoms in patients. But no one even suspected that the blue mineral, which was found everywhere and seemed so beautiful and useful, was to blame for everything.

The mines in Wittenoom continued to operate until the deposits were completely exhausted. By the mid-1960s, production volumes had already begun to decline, and six years later, asbestos mining became unprofitable, and the mines were closed. The town found itself without work almost immediately, and its residents gradually began to leave the "Blue City". By 1980, no more than 50 people remained in Wittenoom. It was then that scientists finally established the cause of the high mortality rate among people who had come into contact with asbestos.

The Australian authorities quickly realized the scale of the problem and immediately took action. Special equipment and teams of workers in protective suits were sent to the city. Their task was to clear the streets of Wittenoom of asbestos, of which hundreds of tons had accumulated there. All residential buildings were thoroughly examined, and those who lived in buildings constructed using asbestos were relocated to safe premises.

But all these efforts seemed in vain. Around the city towered mine dumps - whole mountains of waste rock mixed with blue asbestos. According to the most conservative estimates, these man-made hills hid about three million tons of deadly powder. A slight wind was enough for the asbestos dust to rise into the air and envelop the city and its surroundings in its dangerous haze.

There was no way to solve this problem. Then the Western Australian authorities decided to evict the remaining residents of the dying city and declare Wittenoom a disaster area. That is exactly what they did. In 2007, the settlement lost its city status and was even removed from the country's maps - just to avoid unnecessary risks. The last residents received compensation and moved to safer areas.

There are only three residents left in Wittenoom, who said they are not afraid of asbestos and intend to live out their days on their native land. The "blue death" does not scare tourists either, who are attracted by abandoned and mysterious places. Despite the fact that the city is surrounded by wire fences with many warning signs, its streets still attract lovers of the exotic.

Wittenoom seems to have frozen in the 60s of the last century. It is this atmosphere that delights connoisseurs of that era. At the same time, few people think that even a few hours spent in the city greatly increase the risk of developing incurable diseases. Tourists not only inhale asbestos dust themselves, but also spread it on the wheels of their cars far beyond the city.

The Australian government has no effective solution to the problem yet. Fences and warning signs do not stop the curious, and keeping guards in Wittenoom means putting people's lives at risk. Various options for chemical neutralization of asbestos dumps have been considered, but all of them require colossal financial investments with low efficiency.

Today, the best option is considered to be the complete liquidation of the city. If Wittenoom is bulldozed to the ground, the flow of uninvited guests will stop. But this plan has been discussed for years, and in the meantime, tourists continue to make pilgrimages to the "Blue City" that has become a ghost town.

Do you think Australia should completely wipe Wittenoom off the map or leave it as a terrifying monument to human carelessness? Are there other ways to solve this ghost town problem? Share your thoughts in the comments!