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"Ive worked for a roofing sheet plant for over five years.Last year, I came down with serious pneumonia, and a doctorscheckup showed that the disease was the result of amianthusexposure," said Le Hoai Nam, 35.
During the 2005-06 period, 270 patients died of cancers relating toamianthus, according to figures from the Health Ministry.
There were more than 10,000 labourers working in over 40 roofingplants using amianthus in Viet Nam, producing more than 70 millionsq.m of product per year, according to the Institute for Technicaland Scientific Research on Labour Protection under the Viet NamGeneral Confederation of Labour.
Amianthus has been used in the making of more than 3,000 differentproducts because of its resistance to heat, electricity andchemical damage, as well as its tensile strength. In Viet Nam, thematerial has mostly been used in the production of roofing,particularly in rural and mountainous areas.
"The harmful effects of amianthus on peoples health areclear; however, as asbestos-cement roofing sheets are still popularand difficult to replace, it is essential to ensure a safe workingenvironment for labourers in factories producing the sheets,"said institute director Le Van Trinh.
The way out
Many countries have eliminated the use of amianthus due to itsharmful effects, and the Vietnamese Government has issuedregulations to ensure the safety of labourers working withamianthus-related products.
Since 2004, the Government has urged all asbestos-cement roofingsheet factories to be put under strict health and environmentalcontrols, and issued a decision to ban the use of amphiboleamianthus, which can cause cancer in exposed workers.
A recent survey showed that the concentration of amianthus in theair at many roofing sheet plants was in line with standards, butsome private businesses had not yet applied the proper measures tocontrol amianthus pollution, said Dr Nguyen Thi Hong Tu from thePreventive Medicine Department.
She also pointed out the need to reduce and control the levels ofamianthus exposure, as well as to cut down the number of workers inthe field.
In order to ensure worker safety, strict labour safety regulationsshould ensure safe equipment such as masks and gloves, a safeworking environment in factories and health checkups for workerstwice a year, said Trinh.
According to Dr Igor Fedotov, senior specialist from theInternational Programme for Worker Safety and Health of theInternational Labour Organisation, the Government, labourorganisations and employers needed to provide information andeducation on the impact of amianthus on workers health. Theyshould also undertake preventive measures.
As part of efforts to reduce the impacts of amianthus in roofingsheet production, scientists from the Technology Institute underthe Ministry of Industry and Trade have succesfully begun operationof a roofing sheet production line without amianthus in thenorthern province of Hai Duong.
Key materials used in this production line are polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) and cellulose fibres.
Eliminating the use of amianthus should be widely applied and wouldhelp ensure safety for workers while reducing noise and dustpollution, said Dr Nguyen Van Chuong, director of the TechnologyInstitute