Health hazards of asbestos

Outlawed in much of the developed world asbestos production is still going strong in a number of developing countries including Bangladesh. A report published in this newspaper on Thursday reveals that a number of companies in Bangladesh are producing asbestos– cement sheets laced with the harmful substance. This is happening at a time when as many as 68 countries have fully or partially banned it. Yet Bangladesh is among those countries where that material is being widely used. Because of this, precious human lives are getting silently perished.

Unfortunately, in Bangladesh, like many other countries, profit-making enterprises neglect occupational safety and health measures in gross violation of work safety. The asbestos industry is a case in point. The state must intervene to regulate industries that produce materials potentially dangerous to health.

Asbestos is mainly used in construction, manufacturing of pipes and boilers. The material is also used in manufacturing of fireproof products, plaster decoration, textiles, garments, cement, automobile and shipping industries. Durable and heat-resistant, asbestos was long a favourite insulation material in the West. However, it has been proven through research that asbestos can be fatal. It normally takes up to 40 years for asbestos related diseases to manifest and in most cases they inflict cancer to the host human body. The lengthy latency period of asbestos-related malignant diseases mean that even in countries that no longer use the material, the disease burden continues to rise.

Since the 1960s, asbestos has been linked with diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer. All forms of asbestos are carcinogenic. Mesothelioma, the most common asbestos-related disease, is a tumour of the pleural or peritoneal mesothelia. It is caused by inhalation of asbestos fibres, which interfere with mitosis, leading to the chromosome abnormalities that characterise the disease. Unlike other carcinogens such as tobacco, the risk of developing mesothelioma increases over time, even after exposure to asbestos has been stopped. There is no known cure and median survival is just 9–12 months from presentation. It is estimated that asbestos-related disease is likely to cost the developed world US$300 billion in compensation over the coming years. Before the widespread industrial use of asbestos began in the late nineteenth century, malignant mesothelioma was unheard of. However, in Bangladesh the concept of compensation for asbestos related diseases and deaths is virtually non-existent.

Asia is the continent where the use of asbestos is most widespread. WHO figures say asbestos negatively affects 125 million people annually across the globe and 90,000 of whom succumb to their ailments. Factor in asbestos-related illness among individuals whose work history has not been recorded, the family members of those who work with asbestos, and people living near asbestos factories, and the death toll is much higher. The International Labour Organisation and other world bodies have repeatedly appealed to the member countries to ban this material, yet, many countries have not banned it so far.

Developing countries such as Bangladesh must safeguard their people. Less hazardous alternatives to asbestos have now been found for virtually every use of asbestos and poverty is no longer an excuse—simple measures such as disposal by burial and the use of face masks are cheap ways to handle any toxic waste already in the country, and we do not need to import anymore.

The asbestos lobby says the mineral has been unfairly maligned by Western nations that used it irresponsibly. However global medical opinion says all types of asbestos fiber are causally implicated in the development of various diseases and premature death.

Every time you put a piece of asbestos-cement in place, you're putting in place the seeds of a potential future problem. The only way to eliminate asbestos-related disease is to stop the use of all types of asbestos, all over the world including Bangladesh.