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ASBESTOS IN THE EECCA: KEY PROBLEMS. The survey was developed by Eco-Accord, MAMA-86, Greenwomen Women in Europe for the Common Future Dutch Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment. ASBESTOS: REALITIES, PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
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ASBESTOS IN THE EECCA: KEY PROBLEMS The survey was developed by Eco-Accord, MAMA-86, Greenwomen Women in Europe for the Common Future Dutch Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment
ASBESTOS: REALITIES, PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS • What is the situation in the sphere of "asbestos problems" in transition economies, namely Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan? • Production, use, import and export of asbestos; • Health impacts of asbestos • National regulations of asbestos management • International regulation on asbestos • Public participation, recommendations
Asbestos use in EECCA • The EECCA region - about 50% of the global chrysotile production. • Russia and Kazakhstan incorporate 60 mining and processing facilities, including 41 facilities in Russia. • Russia – 30% of world’s production, exports 60% of the overall volume of extraction to 35 countries • Annual export is 400 thousand tonnes
Asbestos products • More than three thousand different products: corrugated asbestos, different fibres that are used for production of fabric, panels or heat and corrosion resistant coatings; electric insulators (e.g. for clutch and brakes parts), special protective gear, gas masks, etc.
Asbestos in construction materials • Housing for poor. In Ukraine 95% of all roofs are covered by corrugated asbestos-cement sheets.
Increasing asbestos use intheEECCA region We discovered: • Schools, hospitals, other public buildings are build with asbestos • Households use asbestos Roofs of Asbestos and asbestos waste all around
Asbestos containing waste • Asbestos-containing construction waste – dump into waste collection ponds, or directly on roads • Asbestos-containing construction waste is not considered as hazardous waste and disposed as solid waste
Air emissions • MAC of asbestos - 0,06 fibre/sm • Air emissions of asbestos-containing dust - 6,5 tonnes annually • No methodology to estimate asbestos level in the air • Asbestos is not included into federal reporting on limited allowable air emissions
Asbestos related diseases • The real scale of mesothelioma morbidity in Russia is unknown. • In the 20th century, only 4 epidemiological studies of mesothelioma were conducted • Kazakhstan: no epidemiological studies have been carried out • Ukraine: no reports on mesothelioma, 19 cases of asbestosis in 25 years
Asbestos related diseases • Diagnosis of dust-induced lung diseases is difficult • Occupational respiratory diseases are generally diagnosed at the stage when they are severe. • The initial asbestos exposure and identification of the disease symptoms – 30 - 40 years
Women and children at risk • Some EECCA countries regulate primary exposure • However, secondary exposure is effecting millions of women and children in the EECCA region • Therefore, women and children at risk from: • Houses, schools, playgrounds with asbestos • Asbestos dust in cities with asbestos factories • Wives and children of men working with asbestos
Access to information • Lack of information on matters of asbestos health impacts; • No popular publications on safety measures; • Broad public information activitiesare needed
Key problems • Trade Unions in the EECCA countries support asbestos industry • Policy of asbestos safe management is promoted on the governmental level • Inequality of income • No health insurance system in place