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 worlds 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 in the EECCA 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 – 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 activities are 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