Asbestos in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - A Public Health Time Bomb
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Transcript of Asbestos in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - A Public Health Time Bomb
Asbestos in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - A Public Health
Time Bomb
Women in Europe for a Common Future - WECFWomen in Europe for a Common Future - WECF
www.wecf.eu
www.wecf.org
• WHO estimates that currently 125 million people are being occupationally exposed to asbestos, including women and children
• ILO estimates asbestos causes 100.000 deaths globally every year through occupational exposure alone.
All Asbestos KillsAll Asbestos Kills
www.wecf.org
• WECF discovered with shock that NGO partners wanted to use asbestos for ecological construction
• NGOs and the public had been told, that “their” asbestos was safe
• WECF bought samples in Kazakhstan and had them tested in a laboratory in Germany
• The chrysotile asbestos from Ka zakhstan is no different
EECCA Asbestos - just as badEECCA Asbestos - just as bad
www.wecf.org
Huge asbestos use in EECCA Huge asbestos use in EECCA regionregion
We discovered:• almost all new buildings
are build with asbestos• Asbestos Industry is
powerful• Scientists and politicians
are not aware
www.wecf.org
Primary exposure is often regulated by the governments
But even secondary exposure is effecting millions of women and children in the EECCA region
Cases of mesothelomia cancer• Women washing clothes of asbestos workers• Women playing as child near asbestos factory
Women and children: affectedWomen and children: affected
www.wecf.org
mesothelioma development risks increase sharply • in the case of long-term exposure to low doses of
asbestos comparatively • rare exposure to high doses
Therefore, women and children at risk from:• Houses, schools, playgrounds with asbestos • Asbestos dust in cities with asbestos factories
Women and children at riskWomen and children at risk
www.wecf.org
WECF project on asbestos
WECF started a project on inventory and awareness raising
www.wecf.org
Previous Actions
• Publishing an inventory report on asbestos in EECCA region in English and Russian
• Publishing a fact sheet on asbestos in EECCA region in Russian, Kazakh, Ukrain and English
• Presenting the finings at a side event at COP4 of Rotterdam Convention