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Banning use of asbestos urged

ABU DHABI — Following in the footsteps of the UK, the UAE should ban the use of asbestos that poses serious health hazards to citizens, an expert has urged.

Charles Kinnniburgh of Angus Asbestos Removal Middle East, a UK-based company specialised in survey and safe removal of asbestos, said that the local authorities should carry out asbestos survey at construction sites to curb the use of the harmful material that claims thousands of lives in the UK and the US every year.

“The dangers of asbestos are now recognised worldwide and more and more companies decide to remove it from their buildings or plants. UK has passed a legislation banning the use of asbestos way back in the 1970s. But no such legislation exists in the UAE,” noted Charles.

According to him, asbestos releases fibres; and breathing in air containing these fibres can lead to asbestos-related diseases, mainly lung cancer and chest lining.

“Many people have unfortunately been exposed to asbestos without knowing about it. Only by preventing or minimising these exposures can we eventually wipe out asbestos-related diseases that have no known cure,” Charles warned.

Asbestos are widely used on roofs, insulation material for boilers, pipework and steelwork. Walls, ceilings and floors generally contains asbestos as it is a very effective fire-proofing material. The three most common varieties found in our premises are blue asbestos called Crocidolite, brown asbestos called Amosite and white asbestos, that is Chrysotile. Though all of them are considered to be dangerous for health, blue and brown are more hazardous. And anyone who uses such premises or tampers asbestos that has deteriorated or been damaged are at risk as the level of exposure can be too high.

Is it possible to do away with the already used asbestos? Yes, says Charles who claims that his is the only company in Abu Dhabi which is specialised and licensed in the removal of asbestos per the UK guidelines. “The first step is conducting sample study to identify the presence of asbestos in the premises, its amount and condition to assess the risk factor and then prepare a plan as how you are going to manage the risk,” Charles said, explaining the procedure. Surveys have to be carried out by competent people and samples analysed by laboratories in the UK.