Call to ban asbestos use and import, - a reply from Chrysotile Asbestos Cement Manufacturers Association

Anton Edema, the coordinator of Chrysotile Asbestos Cement Manufacturers Association of Sri Lanka in a letter referring a to the article "Call to Ban asbestos use and Import" (Sunday Observer Feb 1) says:

"It is regrettable to note a respectable Toxicologist without facts or proper statistics pertain to Sri Lanka (or even India) voicing a non-existing problem. Asbestos is a group of natural fibrous minerals composed of silicates that exhibit particularly interesting physiochemical properties such as flexibility and resistance to traction, heat and chemical reactions. Because of these properties, asbestos is used commercially and incorporated into numerous products such as cement, asphalt, brake pads, etc. Asbestos fibres are divided in to two large mineralogical groups: amphiboles (crocidolite, amosite, tremolite, actiolite and anthophyllite, etc) and serpentines (which include only CHRYSOTILE variety). Blue and Amphiboles are banned.

"Chrysotile asbestos fibre (composed mainly of magnesium and silica) is the only variety of asbestos mined and produced now and is a great reinforcing agent apart from having unquestionable technical characteristics. Chrysotile variety of asbestos carries no measurable risk to human health at exposure levels below 1 fibre / ml. This is according to numerous epidemiological studies, some of them covering periods of over 30 years.

"Chrysotile Asbestos in general environment; Fine fibres, invisible to the eye, are present in the air and water in almost every region of the globe. Hence all of us may be inhaling and also ingesting them through drinking water every day. Some studies have shown that every individual breathes in between 10,000 and 15,000 asbestos fibres each day and drinks water containing between 200,000 to 2,000,000 fibres per litre. Even developed nations such as USA and Canada have NOT banned most of the asbestos containing materials (ACMs). USA still allows 28 ACMs.

"For more than 60 years Sri Lanka has imported Chrysotile asbestos mainly from Canada and Russia for the use in asbestos cement roofing sheets. It has done so following the strict control measures concerning Safety in the use of chrysotile asbestos. During this time there has not been a single proven case of adverse health impacts in Sri Lanka which suggests that the risks from Chrysotile asbestos exposure are negligible for workforce in asbestos cement industry as well as general public."