Asbestos declared guilty, without a trial

Recently, President Maithripala Sirisena announced that asbestos would be banned in Sri Lanka possibly from 2018; he further stated that his efforts to ban asbestos while he was the Minister of Health failed to materialise. The country had been using asbestos roofing sheets since early 1960s in factory buildings and in “American style” housing, as the double pitched roofed houses were referred to then.

Currently, asbestos-cement sheet is the commonest roofing material in housing and in almost all industrial buildings. Notable exceptions are the factory buildings of exporting industries that are roofed with zinc-aluminium sheets, in spite of the high quantum of sun’s heat passed into the interior, increasing the air conditioning load. Their moving away from asbestos was to satisfy Western buyers, who were accustomed to banned asbestos in their home countries.

Developed countries had reasons to ban asbestos, but Sri Lanka has no such problems and current production methods do not allow hazardous exposure of workers

History of asbestos

The asbestos usage dates back thousands of years. The Greeks used asbestos in the wicks of the eternal flames. Ancient Egyptians embalmed their pharaohs with garments woven with asbestos fibre. Persians believed the fibre was the fur of an animal called salamander which lived in fire and died when exposed to water. Wealthy Persians used asbestos cloths to wipe hands and when thrown into fire came whiter, amazing guests.

Asbestos mining began long ago, but large-scale mining commenced only by end of the 19th century. For a long time, the world’s largest mine was the Jeffrey mines in the town of Asbestos, Quebec, Canada.

The Industrial Revolution of 1800s created a demand for commercial asbestos, when manufacturers and builders began using asbestos due to its desirable properties as sound absorption, tensile strength, resistance to fire, heat, insulating properties, electrical and chemical damage, and affordability.

Asbestos and lung disease

Ancient Greeks and Romans noted that slaves involved in the weaving of asbestos cloth developed sickness of the lungs. In the early 1900s researchers began to notice large number of early deaths and lung problems in asbestos-mining towns. The first documented death related to asbestos was in 1906, in a post-mortem of a young man who died after working 14 years in an asbestos textile factory, discovered asbestos traces in the lungs.

In 1924, the first diagnosis of a lung disease caused by asbestos fibres was then called asbestosis, was medically termed mesothelioma in 1931. In England, labour laws were passed in the 1930s that required asbestos manufacturers to increase ventilation. By the 1980s and 1990s asbestos trade and usage become banned, phased out, or heavily restricted in increasing countries.

It became known that prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibres can cause serious illnesses including lung cancer. The gap between exposure and diagnosis, referred as latency period is long and averages 50 years. According to World Health Organization 43,000 people still die annually due to asbestos related lung cancer.

Types of asbestos

They are commonly known by their colours, as blue, brown and white asbestos. Crocidolite or blue asbestos is the most hazardous of all types and is found primarily in South Africa, Australia and Bolivia. In Australia, blue asbestos was widely used in construction between 1946 and 1980. From the 1970s with increasing concerns over dangers asbestos was phased out. Australia was forced to close down a mining town which produced blue asbestos, due to heavy deaths. Mining ceased in 1983 and banned entirely in 2003.

Amosite referred to as brown asbestos is considered extremely hazardous, found commonly in South Africa, named for “Asbestos Mines of South Africa”.

Chrysotile or white asbestos is considered least harmful. The fibres are curly and longer than other asbestos types and can be spun and woven into fabric. Approximately 90% of the asbestos used commercially in the world is chrysotile, also commonly used in corrugated roof sheets.

Producers

In 2009, two million tons of asbestos were mined worldwide. The Russian Federation was the largest producer with about 50% world share, followed by China (14%), Brazil (12.5%), Kazakhstan (10.5%) and Canada (9%). Sri Lanka imports asbestos mainly from Russia.

Use of asbestos

Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders due to its sound absorption, tensile strength, resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage, and affordability. The industrial applications included fire retardant coatings, concrete, bricks, pipes and fireplace cement, heat, fire, and acid resistant gaskets, pipe insulation, ceiling insulation, fireproof drywall, flooring and roofing.

The cold climates in developed countries required steam and hot water, and supply pipes were insulated with asbestos. The raw asbestos was handled by plumbers, pipefitters, steam fitters and electricians, were the most vulnerable to asbestos-related diseases. The usage of asbestos in the shipbuilding and the electrical power industries has been high.

Thousands of tons of asbestos were used during the World War II in ships to insulate piping, boilers, steam engines and turbines. US employed approximately 4.3 million shipyard workers during WW II and approximately 100,000 people have died, or are terminally ill, from asbestos exposure.

Through the 1970s, asbestos was used to fireproof roofing and flooring, for heat insulation, in fire-check partitioning and doors on North Sea oil production platforms and rigs. Over two million tons of asbestos is used worldwide each year for commercial applications. But manual handling of asbestos fibre has been replaced by machinery.

Work hazards

Asbestos related diseases are caused by long term inhaling tiny airborne fibres, therefore any activity using loose dust or fibres could potentially cause disease (Secondary asbestosis). As a result, illness occurred not only in the widespread primary industries using asbestos, such as asbestos mining and processing, but also in industries handling construction and demolition, repairs and fire safety.

Banning of asbestos usage

The use of asbestos in new construction projects has been banned for health and safety reasons in many developed countries, the European Union, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and New Zealand.

Australia banned blue asbestos in 1967, while brown asbestos usage continued in the construction industry until 1989. In the United Kingdom, blue and brown asbestos materials were banned in 1985, while white asbestos was outlawed in 1999. New Zealand, in 1984 banned the import of blue and brown asbestos and in 2002 the import of white asbestos. In Canada, asbestos is not banned, but the use of asbestos has declined since early 1980s.

A notable exception is the United States, where asbestos continues to be used in construction. In a case filed in the US in 1991, the Court prevented the Environmental Protection Agency from banning asbestos, as EPA research showed the ban would cost between $450 and 800 million while only saving around 200 lives in a 13-year period, and EPA did not provide adequate evidence for the safety of the alternative products.

Asbestos in today’s world

Asbestos is not banned in either United States or Canada. In fact, Canada is the world’s second-most producer of the mineral, exporting it to countries like India and China. India continues to use asbestos products in houses, apartment buildings and office buildings. Indian Government officials support the asbestos industry and many state publicly that the mineral is not toxic, or at least not toxic under certain levels of exposure.

Roofing material

Asbestos is a popular roofing material due to its durability, versatility, lightness, heat insulative properties, resistance to fire, corrosion and weathering, also could be used under extremes of temperature and have a life expectancy of 30-50 years. In most cases, asbestos was mainly added as a reinforcement material, comprised 30% or less of the roofing product.

In the manufacture of roofing or ceiling sheets asbestos fibre is mixed with cement, the resultant mix does not allow asbestos fibre to fly off. However, during cutting and drilling for installation particles fall off, but the extent of escape of fibre from the particles is not known. The research literature and comments on asbestos roofing sheets is not available, possibly due to few fibres escaping into air.

The attack on New York’s twin towers

As New York City’s twin towers collapsed following the 9/11 attacks, Lower Manhattan was blanketed in building debris including dust, lead, glass fibres, asbestos and pulverised concrete. The quantum of asbestos among the debris exceeded 1,000 tons. This complex mixture raised concerns that thousands of residents and workers in the area would be exposed to airborne hazards.

A committee was appointed to look into effect of dangerous dust over the people’s lives, however after over six months of investigations the committee was unable to find any effects against asbestos, and passed over further investigations to federal authorities.

Lessons from the developed world

Cancer related to asbestos was prominent in developed countries due to long term exposure of workers to raw asbestos fibre, under poorly ventilated conditions. Heavy asbestos usage in warships during the World War II resulted in the death of 100,000 people. Currently, blue and brown asbestos are not mined and manual handling of asbestos fibre has been replaced by machinery. But asbestos based cancer appears nearly 50 years after exposure resulting continuing numbers.

Asbestos in Sri Lanka

Older generation of the country were accustomed to woven asbestos in their homes as wicks of lamps and mantles in petromax lamps during the kerosene days.

For more than 60 years Sri Lanka imported white asbestos mainly from Canada and Russia for the production of asbestos cement roofing sheets. Although cancer is common in Sri Lanka, not even a single case of asbestos-related lung cancer (mesothelioma) has been reported.

During the early days of producing asbestos roofing sheets in Sri Lanka, raw asbestos was handled by the workers, exposing them to fibre. Now, the production has been automated and manual handling of raw asbestos has been eliminated, but the earlier workers would have been exposed to asbestos fibre.

The persons prone to possible asbestos poisoning are:

1. Workers in asbestos manufacturing industries

2. Carpenters working on installation of asbestos roofs and ceilings

3. Policemen on traffic duties exposed to asbestos emanating from vehicle brake pads

Alternatives

If asbestos is banned in Sri Lanka, most affected would be the poor and middle class who struggle to put up a house of their own. For most, completion of their dream house takes years, constructing section by section whenever funds are available. Currently, asbestos is the cheapest roofing material, alternatives would be clay tiles, GI sheets or zinc-aluminium sheets.

Clay tiles are costly as well as heavy, and would require stronger walls than the four-inch thick cement blocks used by most poor and lower middle class. Roof framework is more complicated requiring more timber. During rains, tiled roofs tend to send down a fine spray of water and could make children sick and prone to asthma. The remedy would be a ceiling, but with what? Current ceilings are mostly asbestos which is banned, alternate would be a timber, or artificial timber, both are far expensive than the long-lasting asbestos.

GI sheets tend to warp and does not last long. Zinc-aluminium and GI are both noisy during rain and transmits sun’s heat into the house, making the house hot and uncomfortable, which would require expensive insulation. The rich could afford air conditioning, but additional air-conditioned houses would add to the national power load.

Tile manufacturers are already grumbling of difficulties encountered in getting their clay requirement due to environmental constraints. The firing of tile kilns require firewood, adding to further destruction of dwindling forests.

With the above options the poor would be forced to go back cadjan roofing, with available coconut branches. The solution would be eco-friendly, also will give employment opportunity to weavers. The problem would be CEB’s refusal to give electricity for such housing and occupants will resort to kerosene lamps and risk their houses being burnt.

The Rotterdam Convention

The Rotterdam Convention is a multilateral treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relation to the import of hazardous chemicals. The Convention came into operation in 2004 and Sri Lanka ratified the convention in 2006.

In June 2011, Rotterdam Convention, discussed to list white asbestos under hazardous materials, but needed consent of other countries and the move to list white asbestos did not materialise. Out of many forms of asbestos, blue asbestos has been banned in Sri Lanka since 1997.

Asbestos exposure in Sri Lanka

Asbestos exposure causes health problems when high concentrations of asbestos fibres are inhaled over a long period of time. In the past asbestos workers in developed countries worked with raw asbestos fibre and some used most hazardous blue and brown varieties. As cancer did not appear for 20 to 50 years after exposure, patient numbers continue but in decreasing numbers.

Sri Lanka’s used only white variety of asbestos for production of roofing and ceiling sheets, where asbestos was mixed with cement acting as a binding agent reducing escape of fibre. Our country did not have industries handling raw asbestos. However, during early days workers manually loaded asbestos into machinery and they would have been exposed to fibre. Now the process had been automated and workers no longer handle asbestos manually, but the factory atmosphere would have abundant fibres in the atmosphere.

Asbestos handling in roofing as cutting and drilling results fine debris still bonded by cement, as the work is under open conditions, the workers exposure could be considered mild.

Has our environmental authorities measured the fibre levels in factory atmosphere? Have the workers been subjected to medical tests? The Government agencies too have their responsibility.

Is the ban of asbestos worth the consequences?

Countries as US, Canada, India, Indonesia, China, Russia and Brazil continue to use white asbestos in roofing sheets also in industry. But most usage has been mechanised, minimising workers exposure. Sri Lanka is heavily dependent on asbestos for roofing and ceiling. Banning of asbestos would require moving onto clay tiles or zinc-aluminium which would be expensive and affect the poor and lower middle class. Excavating clay, firewood for burning, additional timber for roof would have adverse effects on the environment.

The countries that banned asbestos developed alternatives that are expensive and would prefer new markets for their products. If Sri Lanka bans asbestos, existing factories would be forced move over to synthetic fibres, which is expected to raise prices by around 40%.

Although we have no recoded deaths against asbestos, possible greatest damage had been already done and by banning asbestos under the worst possible scenario we may save few deaths a year. Here, the decision of US Court against the Environmental Protection Agency from banning asbestos in 1991 would be relevant, that every action or inaction has a price.

Banning of glyphosate

Meanwhile let us see how the country reacted against other evils. Large number people in the Dry Zone were affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD) and resulted thousands of deaths, glyphosate the chemical responsible was banned only in last June.

Calcium carbide is widely used for ripening of fruits and consumed by the unsuspecting public. Most vegetables and green leaves in shops and supermarkets have been sprayed with insecticides few days prior to harvesting. Most cheap lunch packets are cooked with vegetables discarded from shops. The cost of above on the country’s population has not been evaluated at all. The possible deaths due to cancer from asbestos would be far less than caused by any of above items, ignored by the public and the government.

Way forward

Local industries use white asbestos in the production mixed with cement, where release of fibre is lowest. Persons exposed to asbestos fibre over a prolonged period, cancer may appear after 50 years. Meaning if a 30-year-old was exposed cancer would appear when he is 80, by which time he may be gone, resulting in zero cases of cancer.

The roofing sheets fulfil an important requirement at an affordable price, alternatives for asbestos would be costly for the consumer and cause environmental damage. The developed countries had reasons to ban asbestos, but Sri Lanka has no such problems and current production methods do not allow hazardous exposure of workers.

Thus, without following some developed countries blindly, the production of asbestos roofing and ceiling sheets be allowed to continue, with strict environmental controls of the production process, and the workers be subjected to regular medical checks. Past employees need be tracked and their health conditions be monitored. We need to consider levying a cess (say 1%) on asbestos products and direct proceeds towards cancer research.