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by Channa Kasturisinghe

It is common that companies manufacturing the same product compete fiercely in the market to win consumer confidence. However, there are instances when they have to join hands in order to safeguard their industry from a threat common to all.

The Daily News last week received a press release jointly issued by three leading Asbestos roofing sheets manufacturers in the country, saying that asbestos products cause no danger to the environment. They had denied the concerns raised by environmentalists and people residing within proximity to their manufacturing plants that continuous exposure to asbestos could cause cancer and other related diseases.

Asbestos roofing sheets have become popular in the local market due to the convenience and low cost in installation and durability. During the last couple of decades mass scale asbestos roofing sheets manufacturing started in Sri Lanka and the product is now freely available in the local market.

There has been little resistance from the public due to the lack of awareness among them of the potential dangers of asbestos.

Of late environmentalists have shown increased interest and there have been reports of protest campaigns by people residing close to asbestos manufacturing plants.

Although, the issue has not yet become serious in Sri Lanka reports of an unease in the incidence of diseases linked to asbestos and growing concern over the presence of asbestos insulation in buildings, have triggered intense controversy in Europe especially in northern countries.

In the United States, its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have banned several asbestos products, and manufacturers have voluntarily agreed to limit the use of others.

Organisations such as the National Safety Council in the USA which is dedicated to protecting life and promoting health have been creating an awareness among the international community with the assistance of scientists of the threat of asbestos to the environment. According to scientists the most dangerous asbestos fibres are too small to be visible. They can become airborne when asbestos-containing materials are disturbed or during improper removal.

Once they are inhaled, the fibres can remain and accumulate in the lungs. Breathing high levels of asbestos fibres can lead to an increased risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma (a cancer of the chest and abdominal linings), and asbestosis (irreversible lung scarring that can be fatal).

The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibres inhaled. The risk of lung cancer is also greater in people who smoke.

Symptoms of these diseases do not manifest itself until many years after exposure begins. Most people with asbestos-related diseases were exposed to elevated concentrations on the job. According to the American Lung Association some uses of asbestos have been banned including the spraying of asbestos-containing materials in 1973, some pipe coverings in 1975, certain patching compounds and artificial fireplace logs in 1977, sprayed-on asbestos decorations in 1978 and asbestos-containing hairdryers in 1979. The production of all asbestos-containing materials for home construction and use was banned, in three stages over seven years, beginning in 1990. According to the findings of the American Lung Association Asbestos fibres can have serious effects on human health if inhaled.

One of its reports said: "There is no known safe exposure to asbestos. The greater the exposure, the greater the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. The amount of time between exposure to asbestos and the first signs of disease can be as much as 30 years. It is known that smokers exposed to asbestos have a much greater chance of developing lung cancer than from smoking alone.

Inhalation of asbestos can also cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the chest and abdomen lining. It may be linked to cancer of the stomach, intestines and rectum as well."

However the argument of the manufacturers is based on the findings of Asbestos Institute another international organisation conducting research and awareness campaigns on the use of asbestos.

According to the Institute, at present only one type of asbestos is used which is called chrysotile and the industry now only markets dense and non-friable materials in which the chrysotile fibre is encapsulated in a matrix of either cement or resin.

One of its reports said: "These modern products include chrysotile-cement building materials, friction materials, gaskets and certain plastics.

The old products, principally low-density insulation materials, were very dusty and crumbled under hand pressure. Unlike today's products, they often contained amphibole fibres (crocidolite and amosite). Chrysotile is a less dusty material and is more easily eliminated from the human body than amphiboles. The claim that the manufacture and use of modern products are safe stems from the fact that studies of workers exposed to much higher dust levels than in today's controlled factories show no excess lung cancer or mesothelioma (cancer of the pleura).

The report also claimed that a group of experts convened by the World Health Organisation (WHO), chrysotile-cement products do not present risks of any significance to public health or the environment. However the World Health Organisation some time ago initiated at the specific request of several governments, a group of international experts to evaluate health risks involved in the industrial production and utilisation of chrysotile - one of the three principal varieties of asbestos used in commerce.

The experts group concluded that where appropriate control measures have been applied, workplace exposures to chrysotile have been reduced considerably, and that the production and processing of chrysotile generally present less risk for persons involved in mining and manufacturing of friction materials and asbestos cement products.

However, the group also reported that other uses of products containing chrysotile may pose health risks. "Of special concern is the potential exposure to chrysotile in buildings during alterations and maintenance. Therefore, when available, substitute materials evaluated as safer than chrysotile should be considered," the report said.

The commercial term "asbestos" refers to a group of fibrous minerals that have high tensile strength, conduct heat poorly, and are fire resistant. Chrysotile is the main form of asbestos, the other two principal forms of asbestos being amosite and crocidolite. Today, chrysotile accounts for over 95% of the world asbestos trade and chrysotile deposits are exploited in more than 40 countries. The main producing countries are the Russian Federation, Canada, Kazakhstan, China, Brazil, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The WHO report said: "Asbestos is ubiquitous in the environment because of its extensive industrial use and the dissemination of fibres from natural sources.

The asbestos minerals occur naturally as fibre bundles that may be several centimetres long. However, when manipulated, they breakdown into smaller fibres which may have dimensions in the submicron range. It is these small fibres that, when inhaled, can pose health risks.

Epidemiological studies, mainly on occupational groups, have established that human exposure to all types of airborne asbestos fibres may be associated with such diseases as diffuse pulmonary fibrosis (asbestosis), lung cancer (bronchial carcinoma), and primary malignant tumours of the pleura and peritoneum (mesothelioma).

The group of international experts met in July 1996 at the Geneva headquarters of the World Health Organisation (WHO) within the framework of the International program of Chemical Safety (IPCS), a joint program of WHO, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

According to the experts, the available published data showed that in general, exposure levels in the production and processing of chrysotile which were very high in the past, dropped significantly in the late 1970s and have continued to decline to the present-day low levels. However, in production facilities without adequate dust control, exposure is still high."

Sri Lanka cannot ignore the findings of these international organisations and therefore should ensure adequate safety measures are taken by the manufacturers in the manufacturing process.

The environment authorities should also evaluate the effects on the end users and take steps to educate the public by giving them a clear picture on possible dangers to health by using asbestos products.

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