ASBESTOS KILLS
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- ASBESTOS KILLS
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CONSUMERS' ASSOCIATION OF PENANG
Community Health Cell
Library and Documentation Unit
367, "Srinivasa Nilaya"
Jakkasandra 1st Main,
1st Block, Koramangala,
BANGALORE-560 034.
Phone : 5531518
7Ho
M KILLS
CONSUMERS' ASSOCIATION OF PENANG
Published by
Consumers' Association of Penang
87 Cantonment Road,
10250 Penang. Malaysia
The Consumers' Association of Penang is a non-profit
organisation which fights for the rights and interests of all
consumers through research, educational and representational
activities.
Printed by
Jutaprint
54 Kajang Road,
10150 Penang. Malaysia.
Copyright © Consumers' Association of Penang 1992
ISBN: 967-9950-72-7
071
Contents
“Killing you softly with 'A' - dust”
5
Facts on asbestos
7
Asbestos — Where is it found and who is at risk?
8
How asbestos gets into the body
11
Diseases caused by asbestos
12
Asbestos victims
13
History speaks
15
Industry's myths
18
Asbestos banned, restricted and removed in
the First World
21
Asbestos exported to the Third World
23
The Malaysian situation
26
Killer dust dump in Perak
27
All is well in Malaysia?
29
Laws In Malaysia
30
Safety level?
32
Substitutes
33
Asbestos at home — What you should do
38
Recommendations
39
The Dust That Kills
...in our water pipes
“Killing yon softly with
‘A’ - dust”
YOU are surrounded by asbestos. The celling your family
sleeps under, the roof of your children’s school, the pipes
carrying your drinking water, not to forget, the many im
ported domestic goods in your house (the hairdryer, toaster,
ironing board, etc.) — they are all, with great probability.
asbestos-based products.
The fact is, asbestos dust is one of the most dangerous
substances used in industry. It causes long-term incurable
diseases which KILL. Evidence from other parts of the world
has proven how lethal the material is.
The asbestos industry in the US is swamped by product
liability suits filed by workers who developed asbestosrelated diseases over the past 50 years. Nearly 100,000
personal injury claims are still pending in the country and
the number is growing. In one state alone, the number of
such cases has been growing at a rate of over 1,000 a year.
By 1983. the industry had already paid out about $600
million in damages.
In 1992, in the largest asbestos trial in the US, six
companies were convicted for manufacturing asbestos
products they knew (or should have known) were dangerous.
These companies had failed to warn workers about the
hazards and thus were held liable for any damages these
products caused. The findings could lead to millions of
dollars being paid to over 8,500 former workers in compen
sation for their asbestos-related diseases.
The US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has pro
posed a ban on all asbestos processing and use by 1997.
While countries are introducing legislation to restrict,
remove or even ban asbestos and look for substitutes, the
authorities here have shown little concern. In fact. Malaysia
is one of the countries targetted by the Canadian asbestos
industry as a huge potential market. The government is
hoping to set up even more facilities to produce asbestos
< 5 >
cement building materials and pipes.
Government official records show that no one has died of
asbestos-related diseases. We do not really know. The fact
that asbestos-related diseases usually manifest themselves
after a long latency period of 20 to 50 years may mislead some
to think that the substance is harmless. Our continued
indifference will only invite the dire consequences suffered by
workers and consumers in other nations.
When you and your family choose to ignore the hazards of
asbestos (whether occupationally or environmentally), the
results are far from blissful: pain, suffering and death await
you.
Asbestos fibres. Magnification XI25.
< 6 >
Facts on asbestos
Amosite asbestos (brown)
Chrysotile asbestos (white)
Asbestos
• is a mineral that is fibrous and fluffy when it is separated
from the rock where it is found.
• is mainly mined in Canada. South Africa and the former
Soviet Union.
O is of three types, often called by their colours when freshly
mined: white (chrysotile), brown (amosite) and blue (crocido
lite).
O has many useful properties. It
— gives protection from fire
— strengthens when used as a reinforcing material
— resists corrosion
— insulates from heat, cold and noise.
• is used in as many as 3,000 domestic and industrial
products.
< 7 >
Asbestos — Where is it
found and who is at risk?
ASBESTOS is around us everywhere — in every car, home
and workplace. It becomes dangerous when, through normal
wear and tear, its fibres are released from the products they
are used in. You can get fatal diseases breathing in these
fibres. The fact that it is used in as many as 3,000 products
makes us more exposed to the health hazards that it poses.
You can come into direct contact with the dust containing
asbestos fibres by living near an asbestos factory or dump or
even living with someone who works with asbestos. Or when
asbestos sheeting in your home, office or school breaks.
starts to peel, or if the sheets are sawn or broken up when
they are moved or taken down. Dust is also released from
brake linings and is then free to enter the atmosphere.
Where it is found/used:
roof tiles
water tanks
guttering and
fall pipes
artex ceilings
bath panels
airing cupboards
garage roof and
wall panels
In Buildings
boarding under
windows and
above doors
wall
partition
heating
systems
rubbish
chutes
corridor
ceilings
fireproof
paints
brake
linings
Oven door and
ironing pad
Vinyl asbestos
floor tiles
Who is at risk?
O FACTORY WORKERS are most at risk, but so are their
families. Workers unknowingly take the asbestos dust back
to their homes on their clothes and bags.
• When waste from the factories has to be dumped, the job
is usually done by CONTRACT WORKERS who get little
protection. COMMUNITIES living near the dumps or in the
path of the dumping lorries are also at risk.
• OTHER WORKERS. Garage workers who change brake
linings. Carpenters and construction workers who have to
saw, work and build with asbestos sheets. Shipyard workers
who handle the imported dust. Workers who alter or demol
ish buildings that use asbestos. Sailors living on ships which
use large amounts of asbestos.
• SCHOOL CHILDREN AND TEACHERS. Schools in Malay
sia are built with asbestos products although the World Bank
has refused to finance projects using asbestos cement in the
construction of schools, houses and public buildings.
• OFFICE-WORKERS. Many buildings (including lactories
and warehouses) have asbestos roofs or ceilings. Dust from
the ceilings could get into the lungs of office workers.
• PEOPLE AT HOME. Many low- and medium-cost homes
have asbestos ceilings or roofs, as well as products with
asbestos in them. In Malaysia, about 33% of the estimated
3.2 million housing units use asbestos cement corrugated
< 9 >
sheets for their roofs. In a case in Japan, an apartment tenant
saw something like woollen yam falling from the ceiling.
Asbestos was used as insulation in the ceilings of the
apartments.
Working Ar Their Risk
The list of exposed workers is very long, but the largest
number of exposed workers includes:
Air filtration systems
Fireproofers
workers
Garage workers
Asbestos cement pipe
Heat insulation makers
Masons
makers,cement sheet
makers, cement shingle
Oil refinery workers
makers, shingle and
Oil well builders
board makers, friction
Paint makers
product makers, filter
Pier builders
makers, rock miners.
Pipe and furnace fitters
Plastic makers
truckers, millers.
weavers, paper workers.
Post makers
felt insulation workers.
Pump packers
insulators, tube
Putty makers
wrappers, loaders.
Reservoir builders
crushers, spinners.
Road constr. workers
asphalt makers, and
Rubber workers
cork insulation workers
Shingle and tire makers
Shipyard workers
Automobile mechanics
Barge builders
Sidewalk builders
Brake and clutch lining
Silo builders
makers and repairers
Smokestack builders
Burial vault builders
Sound insulation makers
Carpenters
Stadium builders
Chemical workers
Storage tank builders
Cosmetic makers
Swimming pool builders
Concrete runway builders
Talc miners and workers
Construction workers
Tunnel builders
Dam builders
Vinyl asbestos tile makers
Drain tile makers
Water pipe makers
Electrical appliance and
Welders
wire makers
Source: Ontario Public Interest Research Group, “The Magic &
Deadly Dust", Canada
< 10 >
How asbestos gets into
the body
1. Asbestos-based products — undergo wear and tear.
break and peel. Sheets or tiles are sawn, drilled, sanded or
exposed to the sun or rain. Microscopic fibres present in the
asbestos dust are released in the air. They float in the air
indefinitely without settling.
2. We breathe in these tiny fibres which escape the mucous
or the hairs in the nose.
3. These fibres enter and stick in the lungs, remaining
there for life. They cause incurable asbestos diseases which
lead to death.
4. Fibres also enter the body through contaminated food
and drink.
< 11 >
Diseases caused
by asbestos
Asbestosis
Symptoms: Shortness of breath, tightness of the chest.
dry cough, clubbing of fingers, lack of energy, more frequent
chest infections, weight loss, noises in the lungs (basal rales).
Effects: Scarring and thickening of the lung tissue and
lining. As the incurable disease progresses, it may result in
severe breathing difficulty (pneumonia, bronchitis) heart
failure, disability, death. It causes death in one out of 10
heavily exposed asbestos production workers.
Mesothelioma
Symptoms: Breathlessness, heavy feeling in the chest.
loss of appetite and weight.
Effects: The microscopically thin lining of the chest
(mesothelium) or abdomen which lubricates the walls of the
chest and the abdomen thickens and the diseased body
cavity becomes filled with fluid. It is a painful cancer that
takes as long as 40 years to be diagnosed and the victim dies
within two years. One in 10 asbestos insulation workers die
of this disease.
Lung and other cancers
Symptoms: Chest infection, spitting out blood, chest
pain, shortness of breath, general ill-health, weight loss.
muscle wasting.
Effects: Cancer of the lung, vocal cords, oesophagus.
stomach, colon, rectum, kidney, ovary lymphoma, leuka
emia. Nineteen of 20 people having lung cancer die within five
years of diagnosis.
< 12 >
Asbestos victims
“Living like this ...is like living ...
in hell...”
Joe Darabant worked at the Manville company in USA, a
building giant notorious for exposing its workers to the
carcinogenic fibre. His employer could have warned him of
the danger of asbestos but did not. His lungs are damaged
and the oxygen he gets through a plastic tube seems to give
him no relief. These are his very words:
“Living like this ... is like living ... in hell. No one ever told
me ... that asbestos was ... dangerous ... when I was working
... at Johns-Manville. I pray to God every night to take my life.
To live like this I don’t want to live. I get up in the morning
and I’m disappointed I’m still here." — Guardian28 Mar 1990.
< 13 >
‘This disease is deadly ...”
Alastair MacKillop
worked as a General
Plumber in Australia. He
was exposed to asbes
tos. He died in July 1984.
The Plumbers & Gasfit
ters Employees’ Union
of Australia dedicated a
book Danger Asbestos to
all those members who
suffered from asbestosrelated disease and in
particular to Alastair
MacKillop. Below are the
sad words of the late
Alastair MacKillop found
on page four of this book:
“Having been a Plumber of long standing and recently the
victim of an asbestos-caused cancer. I feel I am in the
position to warn the young and the old of the hazards of
working conditions in our building industry.
“This disease is deadly, and young high-spirited appren
tices don’t realise the dangers until, as in my case, it’s too
late.
“I had major surgery to remove a malignant tumour in my
chest and after two weeks’ convalescence, started a course of
chemotherapy at the Alfred Hospital. This was meant to kill
off any remaining cancer cells. But, unfortunately, it had
already spread to my head which meant further treatment at
the Peter McCallum Hospital.
"This entailed ten days of consecutive radium treatment
to my head: the total loss of my hair: and generally feeling
really sick.
“Thanks to the skill and care of the medical team involved,
I can expect a litUe extra time. I can’t stress enough the
importance of protecting your working conditions by bring
ing your Union into play.
"Action speaks louder than words. Be warned — before
it’s too late. One’s greatest asset is health."
< 14 >
History speaks
USA
1967 —At the asbestos corporation Johns-Manville’s larg
est manufacturing plant located in Manville, New Jersey, 17
fatal cases of mesothelioma were reported. By 1973, there
were 72 victims.
1966-1976 — A New York study of 52 female victims of
mesothelioma revealed that many of them had husbands or
fathers who worked with asbestos or lived near an asbestos
factory.
1976 — A study by Dr Irving Selikoff (a prominent figure
in asbestos research) on 90 garage workers in New York
showed that 25% had evidence of X-ray abnormalities con
sistent with asbestosis. Another 25% had restrictive pulmo
nary function test findings.
1977 — A study of 359 shipyard workers in California, who
were first exposed to asbestos over 10 years ago, showed that
59% had abnormal chest X-rays compatible to asbestosrelated disease.
1978 — A Government report estimated that over two
million workers will probably die of cancer due to exposure
to asbestos at their jobs. A study by both the US National
Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental
Health Services showed that about 20-25% of workers heavily
exposed to asbestos die of lung cancer, 7-10% die of mes
othelioma, 8-10% of gastro-intestinal cancer.
1986 — According to Dr Barry Castleman, (an expert on
asbestos), 500-600 brake mechanics die from asbestos expo
sure every year.
— The US Environmental Protection Agency states that there
are between 3,300 and 12,000 new cases of asbestos-related
diseases each year.
< 15 >
— The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York estimates
that one person dies ever}’ 59 minutes from asbestos-related
diseases.
— Studies of merchant seamen by Dr Selikoff indicate that
46% of those who have been sailing for 40-50 years contract
some form of asbestos-related disease.
Canada
1967 — A study revealed that of 76 cases of mesothelioma.
45 were people who had never worked with asbestos. Some
lived in the household of an asbestos worker (including
women who were exposed to the dust by washing their
husbands' clothes). Others lived close to an asbestos factory.
1970 — An asbestos factory in Hebden Bridge. Halifax, was
closed down. By 1979. 12% of its 2.200 employees had
developed asbestos-related diseases.
1979 — A study examined the mortality of 544 asbestos
(crysotile) mine and mill employees in Quebec. Sixteen per
cent of the deaths were from lung cancer and 15% from
asbestosis.
1968-1988 — Within that period there were 10,874 certi
fied deaths resulting from specified asbestos-related dis
eases in England and Wales. But these official figures are far
too low as many cases of asbestos-related disease are not
investigated.
1972 — A study of a large textile plant using asbestos found
that 40% of workers witn 20 years or more experience had
lung scarring indicative of asbestosis.
1984 — A WHO report estimated that 12 people will die of
asbestos-related diseases eveiy day for the next 15 years.
Asbestos exposure will kill more people in Britain than were
killed in the armed forces during the Second World War.
Australia
1985—According to the Plumbers and Gasfitters Employees'
Union, there are perhaps 600 or more occupationally-related
asbestos cancer deaths each year.
1986 — In the 1960s, 2,500 wharf workers in Western
Australia were required to work with asbestos without advice
on the hazards of exposure. By 1986, over 1,000 of the
workers were claiming compensation for diseases caused by
handling asbestos two decades ago.
< 17 >
Industry’s myths
Blue is deadly, white is safe
• “It is common knowledge that asbestosis, lung cancer
and mesothelioma can occur following excessive exposure to
crysotile (white) and amosite (brown) as well as to crocidolite
(blue).” (Dr Paul Kotin, responsible for health and safety for
Johns-Manville, the biggest US asbestos company, in 1976).
• “All types of commercial asbestos have been related to
high rates of lung cancer in asbestos workers ... and mes
otheliomas have been observed ... in occupational groups
exposed to white asbestos, blue asbestos and brown asbes
tos...” (US National Cancer Institute)
• In one asbestos cement plant in the US which used
mainly white asbestos. 72 cases of mesothelioma had been
found (up to 1973). (Chest. Vol. 64. 1973)
• Dr Selikoff studied the deaths among 17.800 asbestos
workers in Canada and the US over 10 years and found 40%
of the deaths caused by asbestos exposure. Most of the
victims inhaled only white asbestos, none were exposed to
blue asbestos. (Washington Times, 1 October 1987)
• In 1973. a UK researcher reported that 27 workers who
had died of mesothelioma had only white asbestos fibres in
their lungs. (F.D. Pooley, ‘Mesothelioma in relation to expo
sure’. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Scientific
Pub. No. 8. 1973)
The fibres of asbestos cement are
“locked in”
• Scientists at Yale University, USA. found that walking
< 18 >
about and disturbing the air in a room with an asbestos
ceiling, led to 10 times the level of fibres in the air. In other
cases, normal air movement or vibration was enough to
cause very high levels of airborne fibres in buildings contain
ing asbestos. (Asbestos Fact Pack, People’s Asbestos Action
Campaign (PAAC), London, March 1987)
O Measurements in offices in Paris with asbestos rein
forced vinyl flooring showed that under normal conditions
asbestos levels were 50 times higher than the air outside the
building. (Asbestos Fact Pack)
O Asbestos boards can also be disturbed or gnawed by
vermins leading to high exposures. (Asbestos Fact Pack)
The health hazards of asbestos are
minimal & limited to heavily exposed
workers for many years
O The frightening fact about mesothelioma is that you
can get the killer cancer from veiy low exposures to asbestos.
An exposure of one day has been enough. The British Medical
Journal (Vol. 228. 2 June 1984) described the case of two
sisters living in neighbouring mobile homes who developed
mesothelioma. Their only known exposure was when clean
ing moss off an asbestos cement roof some years previously.
Another case, reported in the Lancet (February 1986). de
scribed a young man dying of mesothelioma, five years after
knocking down an asbestos wall partition in his home.
(Asbestos Fact Pack, People’s Asbestos Action Campaign,
London, March 1987)
• One study of workers in an asbestos plant showed that
some workers who were exposed only a month or two
developed asbestos-related diseases many years later. (As
bestos Exposure, US Department of Health. Education &
Welfare, May 1978)
• Forty-five out of 76 cases of mesothelioma studied by
the London School of Hygiene in 1967 were people who
< 19 >
simply lived in the household of an asbestos worker or lived
near an asbestos factory. (The Magic & Deadly Dust, Ontario
Public Interest Group, 1982)
Myth 4:
No danger of ingested asbestos fibres
from the use of asbestos cement pipes
for drinking water
• Researchers in the US Environment Protection Agency
calculated that 1.000 cancer deaths per year might be
occurring from asbestos in drinking water. (Science & Total
Environment 18:91, 1981)
• Since 1968, studies have indicated a connection be
tween ingested asbestos and cancer of the gastro-intestinal
tract. (Asbestos Kills, Nancy Tait, The Silbury Fund. 1976)
< 20 >
Asbestos banned,
restricted and removed
in the First World
USA
Q A total ban on all uses by 1997.
O In 1987, the Environmental Protection Agency adopted
rules ordering schools to contain or remove asbestos by July
1989.
O In 1989, Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Chicago and
33 other state school districts could press ahead with law
suits seeking property damages from asbestos manufactur
ers. (Clean-up cost of buildings containing asbestos in the US
was estimated at US$51 billion.)
31*1 Canada
• Asbestos manufacturers are legally obliged to warn
workers of the health hazards. Warning symbols must ap
pear on asbestos material.
• Modeling clay containing asbestos was banned from
schools in 1968.
• Selling, advertising or importing toys or clothing con
taining asbestos was prohibited by the Hazardous Products
Act in 1973.
United Kingdom
No longer uses blue and brown asbestos. White asbestos
must carry a distinctive label
07110
Geneva
In 1986. by a virtually unanimous vote of 150 countries.
the International Labour Organisation (ILO) passed a resolu
tion restricting the use of asbestos.
Japan
The government allocated 10 million yen in 1988 to
remove asbestos from schools and public buildings.
Sweden
Banned most uses of asbestos in 1982. Banned asbestos
brake pads in 1987.
Banned asbestos in insulation in 1972.
Italy
Asbestos to be banned in building constructions starting
from 1993. From 1995. the ban will also cover all other
industrial processes.
< 22 >
Asbestos exported to the
Third World
WHEN one takes into account the decision by the increasing
number of governments of developed countries to ban,
restrict and remove asbestos, one can foresee the end of the
asbestos industry in First World countries at least. American
and European imports have dropped drastically. In 1986,
America imported only 113.000 tons of asbestos as com
pared to 700,000 in 1972. Imports to Western Europe fell by
almost 50% between 1979 and 1985.
In spile of this decline in demand for asbestos, Canada —
the world's largest exporter of the lethal material — is still
adamant on developing new export markets and on staving
off the collapse of the industry. It has launched an interna
tional campaign using political and advertising strategies
and tactics to promote asbestos in Third World countries
where local pressure to control exposure is almost non
existent.
The campaign being waged in the developing world has
been spearheaded by the Montreal-based Asbestos Institute.
which is funded by the federal and Quebec governments and
the industry. It has an annual budget of C$8 million “more
than half of which is used to challenge the public perception
that asbestos equals cancer." (Neiu Straits Times, 24 De
cember 1987)
The Institute claims to be spreading the safe use of
asbestos but it is realty doing propagandist work, intent on
selling asbestos, all other considerations being secondary
(Utiisan Konsumer. Mid-October 1991). Its activities include
sending trade missions to and organising seminars in devel
oping countries.
Further to this, the Canadian asbestos industry has
asked the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
to pennit asbestos fibre exports under aid programmes.
CIDA would thus purchase asbestos from Canadian compa
nies cfnd then give it away to the Third World as aid.
< 23 >
According to Dr Ray Sentes. a political scientist, “Ottawa
is hiding the hazards of asbestos from users in the Third
World." He reported that government officials in Thailand
were persuaded by Canadian authorities not to place a skull
and crossbones label on every bag of asbestos entering that
country to warn illiterate workers (New Straits Times, 28
January 1988). In North America, where there is a legal
obligation to warn workers of the health hazards of asbestos,
warning symbols must appear on all bags of the material.
The fact that 50% of Canada’s asbestos exports went to
Third World countries in 1987 (compared to 31% in 1984 and
16% in 1979) is sufficient proof that its sales campaign is
working. The next generation of asbestos victims might well
be workers and the unwary public in these countries.
< 24 >
The Asbestos Institute
knows that asbestos can be
used safely as do many
governments, international
organizations, unions
and industry.
Its business is to make
this knowledge available
worldwide.
The mineral chrysotile represents
95% of the world production of asbestos.
Chrysotile derives from
the greek words "chryso" - meaning golden
and "tile" - meaning fibre.
Thus chrysotile asbestos is the
"Golden Fibre"
For further information, contact.
THE ASBESTOS INSTITl
'
VHO Sherbrooke Street W'•'*
■^ntreal. Quebe'-
Part of the advertising propaganda of the Asbestos Institute
in Canada.
< 25 >
The Malaysian situation
O Malaysia has no asbestos mines.
O In 1986, Malaysia imported about $23 million worth of
asbestos — twice the amount a decade before. It spent
another $10 million on asbestos used for building materials,
clothes, brakes and other items.
O According to the Minister of Domestic Trade and
Consumer Affairs in 1991, about 35,000 tonnes are imported
annually mainly from Canada, Brazil and Zimbabwe.
O Malaysia has about 25 factories with 2,000 workers
(according to official figures), the largest near Ipoh. They
manufacture asbestos into cement pipes and building mate
rial, into sheeting to be used for ceiling and walls, into roof
tiles, brake linings and sealants.
® The government is the biggest consumer of asbestos
cement pipes for domestic water supplies (about 45,000
kilometres long), sewerage and irrigation. The building ma
terials are used for low-cost housing, factories, warehouses
and schools. The total number of corrugated sheets sold in
the country is sufficient to cover the roofs of 88,000 houses
per year.
O Though the ILO has recommended a ban on the highly
dangerous blue asbestos, well-informed sources in the Min
istry of Health told the Consumers' Association of Penang
(CAP) that such asbestos was being rebagged and relabelled
to be used in backyard industries (Utusan Kon.su.mer, May
1988).
Asbestos roofing
is still commonly
used, in Malaysia.
In the United States,
it is banned.
< 26 >
Killer dust dump
in Perak
Dumping asbestos sludge in an open site in Chemor, Perak.
THE dumping of asbestos waste in Malaysia has been carried
out indiscriminately. One such example is the case of United
Asbestos Cement (UAC) in Perak.
In May 1988. newspapers reported how UAC was dump
ing asbestos waste in an open unfenced site in Chemor (near
Ipoh), thus posing a health hazard to 500 families living next
to it.
The site carried no notice warning that dangerous waste
was dumped there. It was littered with sections of asbestos
cement pipes, dust bags, asbestos sheets and felt. The latter
was used in the manufacturing process and contained high
< 27 >
levels of asbestos. Asbestos sludge from the UAC factory was
piled at the edge of a disused mining pool next to the dump.
According to observers at the site, workers in a lorry
carrying out the dumping were not wearing any protective
clothing. Neither did they make any attempt to cover the
sludge.
Residents, ignorant of the health hazards of asbestos, had
been collecting the sheets and pipes at the dump to help
build their homes. Asbestos felt was also collected to be made
into doormats and carpets.
According to a spokesman at UAC there were guidelines
for the disposal of asbestos waste. “The waste should be
disposed of at least 5 km from any residential area. The waste
must be buried under at least one foot of sand or earth, so the
dust can't escape into the air. Asbestos felt and bags used for
transporting raw asbestos must also be buried so that they
can't be taken by anyone or used again." Also, he stated that
the disposal of waste must be supervised by the factory and
the contract of any company that was not complying with the
rules would be terminated.
The contractors, Goh Brothers, employed by UAC to
dispose of the asbestos waste had evidently not complied
with these rules. A fact UAC was surely aware of.
The Department of Environment (DOE) paid a visit to the
dump site (following the newspaper reports). Though it
declared the site was safe, the dump was subsequently
moved to a less populated area near the Kanthan Industrial
Estate.
But here again proper dumping was not carried out, thus
threatening the health of families and of farmers working the
land nearby. According to observers, overloaded transport
lorries were spilling broken pipes of asbestos and dust along
the road leading from the factoiy to the dumping ground.
Workers, involved in unloading, were still not wearing pro
tective clothing.
< 28 >
All is well in Malaysia?
LOCAL records show no Malaysians have suffered or died
from diseases caused by asbestos. We doubt the accuracy of
these records especially after considering the following facts:
O Only 30% of deaths in Malaysia are certified by a
doctor. Nobody knows what the other seven out of ten
actually die of. Post-mortems are rare, and it takes a post
mortem to be sure that the cause of a death is asbestosrelated.
O Lung diseases caused by asbestos must be reported by
any doctor who diagnoses them. But diagnosis at earlier
stages requires expensive equipment and specialised knowl
edge. There are less than 10 doctors in Malaysia trained in
occupational health.
O The Asbestos Processing Regulations, enforced only in
1988, make it compulsory for all workers in asbestos facto
ries to have a medical
check-up every two
years. As asbestos dis
eases take anything
between 10 to 50 years
to develop, it means
that workers who de
velop the disease in
later years may not be
diagnosed especially if
they have retired or left
their jobs.
Workers are not
given medical check
ups after they have
stopped working —
because the people who
drafted the regulations
decided it was “no
longer the employers’
responsibility".
< 29 >
Laws in Malaysia
I. The 1986 Asbestos Processing Regulations were imple
mented in 1988. They required that:
• equipment be provided to remove asbestos dust
• the levels of dust be monitored
• washing facilities be provided
• workers have a medical check-up every two years
• workers be educated on the dangers of asbestos.
Limitations of the Regulations
• They only cover the use of asbestos inside the factory.
Transportation to the factory, disposal of asbestos waste and
workers dealing with asbestos products (eg. carpenters.
construction workers, demolition workers) are not included.
• The maximum fine for breaking the Regulations is
$2,000 — a small sum for industries.
• No medical check-up is required once the worker leaves
or retires. (Asbestos diseases may develop 10 to 50 years
later.)
• No warning labels are required on bags of asbestos dust
and on asbestos products.
• No phasing out of asbestos products nor use of substi
tutes encouraged whenever possible.
II. In 1989. the Department of the Environment (DOE)
gazetted new rules for toxic waste disposal, including asbes
tos. They are: Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes)
Regulations 1989; Environmental Quality (Prescribed Prem
ises) (Scheduled Wastes Treatment & Disposal Facilities)
Order 1989; Environmental Quality (Prescribed Premises)
(Scheduled Wastes Treatment & Disposal Facilities) Regula
tions 1989. These rules came into force in May 1989 and
factories had until 1 October to comply with them.
< 30 >
New rules
O All asbestos-using companies must inform the au
thorities how they dispose of their waste.
O The DOE has the authority to monitor the transporta
tion of asbestos products to ensure there is no spillage or
leaks into the environment.
O Containers filled with asbestos waste must be labelled
and nearby residents must be informed about the presence
of asbestos waste and its dangers.
< 31 >
Safety level?
MUCH as the asbestos industry would want us to believe,
there is in actual fact no “safe level" of asbestos dust in the
air for the worker (in a factory using asbestos) or even the
general public. The US National Institute for Occupational
Safety & Health is of the same opinion: “At present it is not
possible to assess whether there is a level of (asbestos)
exposure in humans below which an increased risk of cance r
would not occur." (“Asbestos", International Agency for Re
search on Cancer, Vol. 14. WHO, 1977)
• “Evaluation of all available human data provides no
evidence for a threshold or ‘safe’ level of asbestos exposu re ...
only a ban can ensure against carcinogenic (cancer) effects of
asbestos." (“Revised Recommended Asbestos Standard".
covering letter from Dr John F. Finklea, Director. US National
Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, 15 Dec 1976.)
Even the levels decided by the US Occupational Safety &
Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupa
tional Safety & Health. USA, are not considered safe levels —
just “measurable" ones.
Standard for Occupational Exposure To Asbestos
Over An 8-hour Shift
Malaysia
1 fibre per cubic centimetre
of air
Occupational Safety
& Health Administration,
USA.
0.2 fibre per c.c. of air
National Institute for
Occupational Safety &
Health, USA
0.1 fibre per c.c. of air
Safest Level of Asbestos — NO ASBESTOS AT ALL
< 32 >
Substitutes
ALTERNATIVES exist for all products that are currently
made with asbestos. Water pipes can be made from Ductile
Iron (DI pipes), steel, or from glass reinforced plastics. There
are health problems associated with some of the materials.
So they cannot wholly be classified as “safe" substitutes.
Still, they are preferable to asbestos. The alternatives may
cost more initially, but when we consider the cost of having
to treat all those who suffer from asbestos-related diseases,
the suffering and pain of the victims and their families and
the loss to the economy from premature death of thousands
— it’s definitely far more cheaper and safer to use substitutes.
Asbestos Substitute Materials
Major End
Uses of
Asbestos
Fibre
Product
Containing
Asbestos
Substitute
Materials
Friction
Products
Clutch Facings.
Disc Brake
Pads, Brake
Drums for
Cars. Trucks.
Trailers
Semi-metallic Disc Pads, Metal
Non-Asbestos Clutch Facings.
Non-Asbestos Brake Drums
Cement Pipe
— For carrying
water, air. or
other fluids
Asbestos
Cement Pipe
Metal Pipes
— ductile iron
Plastic Pipes
— thermosetting resin
pipe (RPM)
— polyvinyl chloride
pipe (PVC)
Pretensioned Concrete
Metal Pipes (PT)
< 33 >
Asbestos Substitute Materials
Major End
Uses of
Asbestos
Fibre
Product
Containing
Asbestos
Substitute
Materials
Cement Sheet
— Used as fire
protection walls and
as protection against
heat and noise
Asbestos
Cement Sheet.
Drywall
Glass Fibre Reinforced Cement Sheet.
Laminated Hardboard. (Benelex)
Board. Cement/Wood Board,
Calcium Silicate Cement Sheet. Poly
propylene Cement Sheet, Alumina
Sheet. Dual walled'metal sheets
interlayered with mineral wool.
Mineral Fibre Cement Sheet
Refractory
Cement — Used to
attach bonded
modules to, or as a
patch on. high
temperature
surfaces
Refractory
Asbestos
Cement
Aluminum Silicate Cement.
Calcium Silicate Cement. Mineral
Fibre Cement.Wollastonite Fibre
Cement, Fibreglass Cement
Roofing Products
Roofing Felts,
Roofing Paper,
Shingles
Fibreglass Felts. Single Ply
Systems
— polymeric systems
• ethylene propylene
diene monomer
• butyl neoprene
• polyvinyl chloride
• chlorinated.
sulphonated polyethylene
(CPE)
— Modified bitumens.
— Organic felts
< 34 >
Asbestos Substitute Materials
Major End
Uses of
Asbestos
Fibre
Product
Containing
Asbestos
Substitute
Materials
Thermal
Insulation —
Packed
around
furnaces.
Sprayed on
structural
steel
Asbestos Pulp
(loose asbestos
fibres)
Compound (Approximate
Maximum Use Temperature)
Polyurethane Foam (257°F) sealed,
Polystyrene Foam (150°F) sealed,
Urea Formaldehyde Foam (150°F)
sealed. Cork (200°F), Glass Foam
(677°F), Aromatic Polyamide Fibres
(700°F) Aramid. Flax Fibres (190°F),
Ceramic Fibres
— Aluminium Silicate Fibres
(2.200°F).
— Calcium Silicate Fibres
(1,500°F).
— Processed Mineral Fibres
(1,500°F),
Silica Fibres (1,500°F), Mineral Wool
(1,200°F), Rock Wool (1,200°F).
Sintered Powdered Metals (700°F),
Franklin Fibres (Calcium Sulfate)
(1,800°F), Aluminium Borosilicate
Fibres (600°F), Steel Fibres (1,000°F),
Fibreglass (1,300°F)
Compression
Packings —
Sealing
devices used
in fluid pro
cessing and
power
equipment
Asbestos
Textile. Asbestos
woven into
yarn, tape, or
braids
Aramid Yarn, Graphite/Teflon
Composite Dispersion, Teflon (PTFE),
Graphite Tape, Flax Yarn,
Ceramic Textile
< 35 >
Asbestos Substitute Materials
Major End
Uses of
Asbestos
Fibre
Product
Containing
Asbestos
Substitute
Materials
Pipe Wrapping
Insulation
Asbestos
Textile. Asbestos
woven into
cloth, tape.
rope, braids.
sleeving.
blankets, or mats.
Asbestos Paper.
Fibreglass Textiles and Papers.
Silicate Fibre Textiles and Papers.
Rock Wool. Mineral Wool, Ceramic
Textiles and Papers. Aluminium
Silicate Textiles and Papers. Calcium
Silicate Textiles and Papers.
Polymethane Foam, Glass Foam.
Polystyrene Foam. Urea
Formaldehyde Foam
Protective
Clothing —
Used for fire
and heat
protection
Asbestos
Textile. Asbestos
woven into
cloth, blankets.
or mats
Fibreglass Textiles. Cotton Entwined
Fabric. Aramid Fabric. Stabilized
Polyacrylonitrile Fabric. Novaloid
Phenolic Fabric, High Temperature
Nylon Fabric. Modacrylic Fabric. Heat
Resistant Leather
Electrical
Insulation
Asbestos Tex
tile. Asbestos
woven into
cloth, rope.
braids and
yarn
Mica. Ceramic Textiles
— Aluminium Silicate Textiles.
— Calcium Silicate Textiles.
Rubberized Wire Coatings
Gaskets —
Provide a
seal between
pipe sections
Asbestos Gas
kets. Asbestos
embedded in
high tempera
ture rubber
Vegetable Fibre Sheet. Cork Teflon
(PTFE). Expanded Teflon.
Rubber (high temperature). Graphite.
< 36 >
Asbestos Substitute Materials
Major End
Uses of
Asbestos
Fibre
Product
Containing
Asbestos
Substitute
Materials
Additive —
Used in making
products
Plastics
(phenolic, vinyl,
epoxy, unsa
turated poly
ester. urea.
diallyl
phthalate,
polypropylene
thermosetting
polyester)
Mica, Clay Talc, Clay. Wollastonite.
Processed Mineral Fibre (PMF),
Fibreglass. Franklin Fibres. Ceramic
Fibres. Textile Fibres (aromatic
polyamide). Mineral Fibres.
Coatings
(Paints, caulk.
sealants)
Fibreglass. Textile Fibres, Ceramic
Fibres. Mineral Fibres
Filters
Cellulose, Fibreglass.
Ceramic Fibres. Rock Wool.
Textile Fibres. Polyvinyl
Chloride (PVC).
(Western Institute for Occupational & Environmental Sciences, California. USA)
< 37 >
Asbestos at home —
What you should do
IF YOU have asbestos in
your home, it’s likely to
be in the form of ceiling
or roofing tiles, partition
walls or asbestos ce
ment. In these cases the
fibres are bound or en
capsulated within the
material. A potential
health risk only arises
when these fibres are set free, for example, during wear and
tear, sanding, drilling or sawing.
• An asbestos cement or tiled roof which is undamaged
can be left alone.
• If there’s asbestos cement inside your house it should
be sprayed or painted over to prevent dust escaping. Use an
alkali-resistant sealant or primer and then cover it with
undercoat and one or more top coats.
• An asbestos insulating board is softer than asbestos
cement and should be replaced if it is damaged. If it is in a
good condition it can be painted with emulsion.
• Don’t sand asbestos cement or an insulating board
before painting it. Wipe dusty surfaces with a damp cloth and
then throw the cloth away in a sealed bag.
• If you want to remove your old vinyl floor covering, do
not powder sand any bits which remain stuck to the floor, in
case they contain asbestos. Damp them down and scrape
them off.
• When replacing the brake lining on your car. don’t blow
the dust out of the drum. Wipe it away with a damp cloth and
dispose of the cloth in a sealed plastic bag.
Note: In the UK. sprayed or lagged asbestos can only be
removed or sealed in by licensed contractors. We have yet to
have such a regulation in Malaysia.
< 38 >
Recommendations
IT IS IMPERATIVE that the threat of asbestos be permanently
removed from this country. Since the government has al
ready decided to phase out the use of asbestos roofings (Star,
29 June 1991), it should also stop using asbestos products
in all its schemes and projects and phase out its use
everywhere else. We urge the government and the relevant
ministries to adopt the following recommendations:
1 Phase out and ban imports of asbestos — Import of
asbestos further adds to the use of asbestos within the
country. Malaysia should not be used as a dumping ground
for multinationals denied access to the First World.
O Ban the import of the highly dangerous blue asbestos. A
government spokesman has denied the use of any blue
asbestos which comes mainly from South Africa and Zim
babwe. But according to the Minister of Domestic Trade and
Consumer Affairs in 1991, Zimbabwe is still one of Malaysia's
main suppliers. According to sources in the Ministry of
Health, backyard industries are still using blue asbestos.
2. Phase out local production of asbestos — Asbestos
factories should be phased out. In the meanwhile, the
management of these factories should provide workers with
protective clothing and equipment while working and inform
them of the dangers of asbestos and precautions to take so
as not to endanger their families as well.
3. Phase out the use of asbestos products —The extent to
which asbestos is being used in Malaysia should be thor
oughly investigated.
© Identify consumer products containing asbestos.
© Check imported products (for example, hair-dryers and
toasters) that are known to contain asbestos. They should be
removed from the market if asbestos is present.
O The government should introduce a programme to ur
gently phase out asbestos in local consumer products, using
alternative materials wherever possible.
• Ensure that all products or packaging containing asbes
tos carry a warning label.
• Stop using asbestos cement pipes for drinking water.
< 39 >
Replace old asbestos cement pipes now in use with non
asbestos pipes when changes are required.
© Stop using asbestos in constructing buildings. The Public
Works Ministry and other relevant ministries should stipu
late that asbestos must not be used for their projects.
• Ban the spraying of asbestos. A Ministry of Health source
states that this practice is widespread. This is the most
dangerous way to use asbestos because the spray contains
a very high level of the dust which is easily released into the
air.
4. Disposal of asbestos waste — The transportation and
dumping of asbestos should be strictly controlled and in
compliance with the various Environmental Quality Regu
lations (1989). Asbestos should only be disposed of in la
belled, sealed containers. The waste should not be dumped
near residential areas, rivers and wells.
O Monitor and act on asbestos disposal sites in the country.
• Impose heavy penalties on anyone carrying out illegal or
improper dumping of asbestos.
5. Worker's safety — Workers employed in asbestos fac
tories or in any tasks involving asbestos must be made aware
of health risks before employment
• Train doctors to diagnose diseases caused by asbestos
and ensure they take into account a patient's employment
history.
O Keep proper records of diseases and deaths resulting from
asbestos.
• Give periodical medical check-ups to workers. Follow-ups
are important even after they have left employment as
asbestos-related diseases may appear 10 to 50 years after
exposure.
© Implement a protection scheme that enables afflicted
workers to receive appropriate compensation.
6. Education —The government and the mass media should
play an important role in educating the people at large about
asbestos: the sources of asbestos and the associated dangers.
• Warn the public about asbestos and seek their coopera
tion for any information on asbestos-related diseases and
deaths amongst consumers, occupants of buildings, com
munities, etc.
< 40 >
Brown Asbestos (Amosite) magnified many times.
Asbestos is around us everywhere — in every car, home
and workplace.
But asbestos kills. And there is no “safe level” of exposure
to its dust.
Government records show no Malaysian has suffered or
died from an asbestos-related disease. Yet can we be sure?
In the US, a government report estimates that over two
million American workers will probably die because of
exposure to asbestos; and there are 100,000 asbestos
personal injury claims still pending in court.
Asbestos Kills gives an overall view of the subject. Some of
the aspects covered include:
• where asbestos is found and who is at risk
• the fatal diseases it causes
• its restrictions and ban in the First World
• its growing use in developing countries.
In addition, this book focuses on the situation in Malaysia
and asks if all is well. It also gives recommendations on
what our government and home-owners should do to
minimise the danger asbestos poses.
The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) is a non-profit organisation
which fights for the rights and interests of all consumers through research,
educational and representational activities.
ISBN: 967-9950-72-7
- Media
ASBESTOS KILLS 7110.pdf
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