Worth a Listen: Song About the Risks of Asbestos

Plumber Dean Harnett from Australia penned the lyrics to “Mystery Blue,” a song about the dangers of asbestos. Harnett was inspired to write the song after mesothelioma took the life of his friend’s father. Music producer Peter Oats, who lost his own mother when he was a child to what was most likely asbestos related lung cancer, composed the music.

Dean Harnett and Peter Oats perform "Mystery Blue"

Both men worked on the song as a way to honor their loved ones and to articulate the insidious dangers asbestos exposure poses.

Speck of dust, it dealt its hand

Still so many don’t understand

Growing slowly, taking its course

Time bomb taking gradual force

Keep it coming supply and demand

Precious resource from our land

They knew, they saw, they conquered all

Their profits rage, while men fall

Australia’s mesothelioma rate is expected to peak between 2014 and 2021. Australia shares the highest annual rates of disease, approximately 30 case per million, with the UK. Tradespeople, such as plumbers and construction workers working on renovations, are the most at risk for developing mesothelioma.

In the video interview Dean Harnett and his coworker Brett Peake spoke about their awareness of asbestos exposure for people working in the trades and how you important it is to protect yourself. “It might not affect you in the short term, but in the long term that’s where it will really get you.” They are taking part in the walk for the Asbestos Disease Society of Australia next month where the song will be performed and promoted to raise awareness.

Check out the video of Dean Harnett and Peter Oats performing “Mystery Blue” and their interview: https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/32039192/plumber-sings-about-the-dangers-of-asbestos/#page1