ASBESTOS: TOXIC TRUTH
Many people could unknowingly be inhaling this menace
IN RESPONSE to Peter’s question last week about replacing his asbestos cement gutters, I said I would ask my champion of the environment, Chrissie from Camps Bay, to write a short piece about what she has discovered about this dangerous product. I think many in positions of power realise asbestos removal is not being handled correctly, and I know many of the regulations written by different authorities vary as to how this problem should be handled.
I ask everyone to be aware of the potential dangers and take the necessary precautions.
I have been advised that new asbestos regulations are about to be promulgated nationally, but I’m not holding my breath to see where they will go. Some of my staff recently went to a health and safety seminar, and they are now even more confused.
This is not meant as a scare tactic, but rather as a warning of the possible implications of not protecting ourselves from the nasties that surround us.
CHRISSIE WRITES: I watch the many joggers, walkers and cyclists using Victoria Road and its walkways. I cannot help but see the irony of these people doing their obligatory 10 000 steps a day, determined to expand their lungs and get their heartrate up, only to be completely undone by inhaling copious amounts of asbestos and silica dust.
I see these exercise addicts passing the many
1920s and 1930s buildings in different stages of demolition, all of them harbouring lethal forms of white, brown and blue asbestos.
There is a misconception that asbestos-related cancers are confined to the people who work with it. One sad story is that of a woman in the UK who contracted asbestosis, the cause of which was traced back to her days as a young teacher. Once a week she would push drawing pins into the classroom wall to display her pupils’ crayon drawings.
Asbestos does not only affect the lungs, but can also cause mouth, stomach and colon cancers. This poison also finds its way into stormwater drains, sewers, drinking water and on to our beaches
Check your insurance policy, as most do not cover asbestos-related damage and its consequent health issues.
How many times have you seen men looking like they’re walking about in a space suit on a building site? How many asbestos notices have you seen outside building sites? My guess is most of you haven’t seen one.
Do not assume your neighbour’s development has followed proper procedures; in all likelihood it hasn’t… in order to cut costs.
After being kept awake recently for a few nights by large trucks pumping in the street, I finally went outside to ask the workers what the problem was. I was told the sewage was backing up into a neighbouring property as the pipes were blocked with builders’ sand.