Confronting the International Asbestos-Cement IndustryAndrew F. Oberta, MPH, CIHThe Environmental Consultancy

2012 The Environmental Consultancy. All rights reserved. May be used with attribution to Andrew F. Oberta, MPH, CIH, The Environmental Consultancy, www.asbestosguru-oberta.com

This presentation was given at the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization conference on March 31, 2012 in Manhattan Beach, California. It is provided here for use by those who are willing to accept the challenge to put the world-wide asbestos-cement industry out of business. No restrictions are placed on its use other than to refrain from alteration of the content in a way that would misrepresent the intent of the presentation. Attribution to Andrew F. Oberta, MPH, CIH, The Environmental Consultancy, www.asbestosguru-oberta.com is requested.The text in the Notes panel below each slide in Normal view are my explanation of the content. I would appreciate any feedback on your use of this presentation and any results achieved therefrom. My contact information is at the end of the program.

Andy Oberta

Andy Oberta

Where does asbestos fiber come from?More than 90% of the world production of chrysotile is used in the manufacture of chrysotile-cement, in the form of pipes, sheets and shingles -- Chrysotile Institute

World Mine Production and Reserves: 2011Production, tonsReservesRussia 1,000,000LargeChina 400,000LargeBrazil 270,000ModerateKazakhstan 210,000LargeCanada 100,000LargeOther countries 20,000ModerateWorld total (rounded) 2,000,000200,000,000Source: U.S. G.S. Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2012

Where is asbestos fiber used?Recent US consumption is minimal2011 consumption: 1100 tons (imported)Roofing - 60% ; Chloralkali - 35%; Other - 5%Asbestos cement used for roofing, siding and pipes

Where is asbestos fiber used?2010 consumption in metric tonsChina - 613,760India - 426,363Russia - 263,037Brazil - 139,153Indonesia - 111,848Developing countries are target marketsEven industrialized countries may lack a health and environmental protection infrastructure for asbestos hazards

Hazards of producing the fiberMining, milling, transportation

Hazards of manufacturing the products

Hazards of manufacturing the productsRepresentatives of the world's major chrysotile exporting mines signed an agreement whereby they committed to supply chrysotile fibre only to those companies that demonstrate compliance with national health and safety regulations. -- The Chrysotile InstituteSource: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Hazards of manufacturing the productsSource: OEHNI Times .. Issue 3 .. Oct - Dec 2010

Myths and Facts of Controlled UseMyth: Asbestos-cement cannot be crumbled to powder by hand pressure- it is non-friable Fact: Asbestos-cement can become friable when damaged

Myths and Facts of Controlled UseMyth: Asbestos fibers are locked in the cement matrix and cannot be released from the surface

Fact: Fibers are released through normal weathering processes J. DyczekJ. MilletteL. Dwyer

Myth: Asbestos-cement products present no exposure hazard to building occupantsMyths and Facts of Controlled UseFact: Damage and vibration can expose building occupants to asbestos hazards

Myth: Asbestos-cement pipes cause no health or environmental hazardMyths and Facts of Controlled UseFact: Chrysotile and crocidolite fibers are released when pipes are dug up, broken and crushedJ. Millette

Myth: Paint and encapsulants offer permanent protection against asbestos fiber releaseMyths and Facts of Controlled UseFact: Paint and encapsulants deteriorate and take asbestos fibers with them when they peel offPLMSEMFiberquant

Confronting the Problem of Installed Products Outreach and education to create awareness of hazards Example: roof removal from shelters in Indonesia, April 2011Dave Hodgkin, Benchmark Consulting, Indonesia Two-day community workshop on issues and methodsRemoval demonstration at two shelters by facilitatorsRemovals at 50 shelters by community participantsEnforce proper work practices through regulations, contracts and other mechanismsASTM E2394 Standard Practice for Maintenance, Renovation and Repair of Installed Asbestos Cement Products (www.astm.org)United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia publications

Confronting the Problem of New ProductsDiscourage consumption byCreating awareness of hazards through outreach and educationImplementing regulatory and economic incentives and penaltiesSupporting the development and economic use of products with alternative fibersReduce availability byBans on importing and using asbestos fiberDisrupting supplies of cement

Disrupting supplies of cement Every ton of asbestos fiber requires several tons of cement to make asbestos-cement productsSuppliers of cement contribute to the manufacture of a hazardous productSuppliers of cement may be participating in a criminal enterprise+=

Disrupting supplies of cement Identify the suppliers of cement to the asbestos-cement industry in each countryDomestic producersImporters Use moral persuasion and public exposure to discourage them from supplying the asbestos-cement marketIdentify target audiences and media resourcesLabor unions, investors, financial institutionsTraditional and social media

Disrupting supplies of cement Use economic penalties and incentives to reduce economic advantages of asbestos-cement Higher tariffs on imported cement, higher taxes on domestic production, for use with asbestos fiberSubsidies on cement used with alternative fibersUse litigation and liability to put pressure on cement companiesName cement companies as defendants in asbestos litigationAdvise insurance carriers of their potential riskInform cement companies of threat of civil and criminal penalties

Technical measures not enoughCredible technical information essential to counter arguments that asbestos-cement products are not hazardousIndustrial hygiene studies of fiber release and exposure Medical studies of health effects from exposurePractical measures for controlling exposure Elimination of asbestos-cement products requires institutional actions economic, financial and political -- by advocates and activists

Biographical summary of Andrew F. Oberta, MPH, CIH BS Aeronautical Engineering and Master of Public Health degreesCertified in Comprehensive Practice by American Board of Industrial Hygiene Over thirty years experience in asbestos consultingChairman of Task Group on Asbestos Management for ASTM International Author of ASTM Manual on Asbestos Control Presentations at seven international asbestos conferences from 2000 to 2012Mr. Oberta will organize a technical session for any conference which addresses advocacy measures to confront and eventually eliminate the asbestos-cement industry. For his contributions he will expect reimbursement of travel and other direct expenses.

Andrew F. Oberta, MPH, CIH The Environmental Consultancy 900 Route 620 South, Suite C101, M/S 101Austin, TX 78734 United States(512) 266-1368andyobe@aol.com -- www.asbestosguru-oberta.com

*The objective of confronting the industry is to put them out of business and eliminate exposure to asbestos that will continue to occur if asbestos-cement products are not removed from the stream of commerce.

*At current production rates there is a 100-year supply of asbestos fiber in the ground. With nearly all of the current production going into asbestos-cement products, what we call the asbestos industry is for all practical purposes the asbestos-cement industry. Note that they no longer make asbestos-cement, they make chrysotile-cement. We will continue to call it asbestos-cement but chrysotile asbestos-cement might be a better term to keep chrysotile and asbestos linked in the public consciousness.*In the US asbestos chloralkali filters have taken over second place from friction products in market share. Transite has become a generic term for asbestos-cement in the US, even though it is a Johns-Manville trade name for a specific line of products.*With the emphasis on developing countries as target markets for asbestos-cement products, lets not forget that industrialized countries with thriving economies such as India dont necessarily have the infrastructure to cope with EHS hazards, including those from asbestos-cement products.*The chain of death starts at the mine and mill, where workers, their families and the community are exposed to asbestos fibers.*This plant in northern Israel, which I visited in 1998, made asbestos-cement pipe as well as flat and corrugated sheet from 1952 to 1997. Plant workers have extremely high mesothelioma rates and cases have occured among residents living near the plant. The waste from the plant contaminated the area surrounding the plant and the entire Western Galilee. Although the plant stopped using asbestos the year before my visit, dust samples I took off the orange dust collection equipment had chrysotile and amosite fibers. The manufacturing equipment was decontaminated, disassembled and, I was told, shipped to India, which is our next stop.*The purveyors of asbestos fiber pledge to sell it only to those who comply with national health and safety regulations. This assumes there are such regulations, that they are adequate and are enforced. Seeing these pictures, I have my doubts.*Exposure continues through the manufacturing process and when the material leaves the plant. After that, there is exposure when the products are installed, maintained, removed and disposed of. But the chain of death may not end even then if the discarded material is scavenged and re-used.*There are five myths of controlled use I would like to dispel. The first is that asbestos-cement is not friable: it cannot be crushed to powder by hand pressure. This ceases to be true if the material becomes damaged, as on the left. The video on the right shows me easily breaking pieces off the edge of a piece of corrugated asbestos-cement siding (in an exhaust hood) and crumbling the pieces to powder. Click on the picture to start the video.*The next myth is that the fibers are firmly locked in the cement matrix and cannot be released from the surface. The picture on the left is from New Zealand, the middle one from a building in New Orleans, and the one on the right was taken by a researcher in Poland. All three show the effects of weathering that cause the fibers to protrude from the surface and become releasable into the air.*The myth that there is no indoor exposure hazard is refuted by these pictures taken inside an industrial plant. On the left is an elevator a man-lift with damaged asbestos-cement panels and a vibration environment. The video on the right shows the effect of a strong wind moving the heavy asbestos-cement panels. Click on the picture to start the video.*During the manufacture of asbestos-cement pipe the ends are beveled by grinding, which produces dust that the workers breathe. This dust creates a waste stream that contaminates the plant and its surrounding environment. When the pipe is eventually dug up it is frequently broken into piees like that on the right, where chrysotile and crocidolite fibers can be seen protruding from the surface.*The final myth concerns protecting the surface of asbestos-cement roofing and siding by encapsulating it, which is another term for applying a coat of paint. The picture on the left shows siding on a house that has been painted blue and from which I removed some paint chips. Photomicrographs of the back side of the paint chips show fibers that have been pulled off the siding. Removal of the paint or encapsulant creates a contaminated waste stream that has to be properly collected and disposed of.* A recent project in Indonesia shows how installed asbestos-cement products can be properly removed by community residents under the guidance of a qualified professional. The workshop provided a forum for discussion of asbestos issues and precautions to be followed during removal of the roofing materials. After a demonstration by the facilitators, the residents removed the remainder of the roof panels using the methods and precautions they learned in the workshop, including disposal procedures. The ASTM standard was written with the needs of developing countries in mind.*The installation of new asbestos-cement products can be discouraged by a combination of methods shown here. In addition to reducing consumption, or demand, the supply chain for the materials to make thr products is vulnerable to disruption. This has taken the form of bans on asbestos fibers in a growing number of countries; unfortunately, such bans are not in place in the countries where they are needed the most. A possible alternative to disrupting the supply of asbestos fiber is interdicting the supply of cement.*It takes two things to make asbestos-cement: asbestos and cement. For every ton of asbestos fiber used, several tons of cement are required. The suppliers of cement are therefore contributing to the manufacture of a hazardous product. Furthermore, the Eternit conviction in Italy has established the manufacture of asbestos-cement products as a criminal activity, and cement companies that supply this market may be participating in a criminal enterprise.*These are some ideas on identifying the companies that supply cement to the asbestos-cement industry and how pressure might be brought to bear to persuade them to abandon that market. These techniques might also work with other industry vulnerabilities besides their supply of cement such as their transportation network or financial resources.

*It might be unrealistic to expect the cement companies to voluntarily abandon such a lucrative market. Other carrots and sticks might be needed, and these are some of the possible measures that could be brought to bear.*The asbestos-cement industry cannot be defeated by technical measures alone. Consultants, industrial hygienists, laboratories, physicians and other technical entities have an important role to play by providing credible information to support actions taken against the industry. The junk science that will be offered in defense of the industry must be countered by sound science from reputable sources. However, the primary responsibility rests with the advocates and activists who have the skills that will ultimately prove decisive in the economic, political and financial sectors.*I will make a personal commitment to support the campaign against the worlds asbestos-cement industry by marshaling the technical resources of my peers and colleagues.*