Twenty cancer cases so far linked to former asbestos factories at Gaythorne and Newstead Asbestos auditors Mark and Tom Rentoul take samples from properties at Gaythorne near the old Wunderlich plant. Picture: Claudia Baxter Source: News Corp Australia TWENTY cases of deadly mesothelioma have been identified in areas surrounding two former asbestos factories in Brisbane, health officials revealed yesterday. Preliminary investigations into health concerns have linked cases from the Queensland Cancer Registry to addresses within a 1.5km radius of the old Wunderlich plant in Gaythorne and the former James Hardie site in Newstead. Eight of the cases were around the Gaythorne site and the rest near the Newstead location. Both closed in 1983 after nearly half a century of operation. DUMPED: No asbestos? They didn't look very hard BRISBANE: Deadly dust in ceilings of homes near old asbestos factory TONIGHT: Community forum to address concerns of asbestos-related cancer links The scan checked cases dating back to 1982. A total of eight were diagnosed in the past 10 years. A report from the public health unit, which is leading an inter-agency investigation, said the data "does not indicate an obvious pattern"" but stressed the findings were preliminary. They do not include other cancers or asbestos-related illnesses and captured only people who were living in the area at the time they were diagnosed. Further analysis will be necessary to trace people who have moved in and out of the areas over the decades. And a more detailed investigation will help provide a comparison of the level of asbestos-related illness with other areas to see if there is a spike. Former residents have recalled how clouds of dust from the Gaythorne factory used to blanket nearby streets and local children used waste dumps on the site as a playground. Independent tests commissioned by The Courier-Mail last week confirmed the presence of asbestos dust in the roof spaces of five out of six houses. And Brisbane City Council this week secured an area littered with pieces of asbestos around a creek adjacent to the old factory where large amounts were dumped. Searches by auditors found pieces of debris along the creek bed where residents say children have regularly played for years. The experts found pieces of debris several centimetres in size. A community forum to address concerns about asbestos was held at the Gaythorne RSL. Meanwhile, about 60 people attended a community forum at the Gaythorne RSL on Tuesday night. Public health unit executive director Sophie Dwyer said the most important concern was the current health risk to the community. "We are looking at whether there continues to be a risk to health from any contamination in the environment," she said. Ms Dwyer said officials would also have to drill down into how many of the cases involved people exposed to asbestos in the workplace. Anxious residents called for urgent follow-up environmental testing to establish the danger level and controls on redevelopment in the area to reduce the risk of asbestos dust from older houses being released in demolition work. Ms Dwyer pleaded for patience. "You do this systematically or you make mistakes," she said. But Housing Minister and local State MP Tim Mander promised to fast-track broader sampling as quickly as possible. "We don't know all the answers but if you are concerned, I am concerned," he said. An email address has been set up for current and former residents to supply information or ask questions at asbestos@health.qld.gov.au, or phone 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84). Click here for more information on asbestos.