WHO sends a letter to the Prime Minister proposing to ban asbestos

'Need to act promptly to prevent the continued use of asbestos in construction materials and completely ban all types of asbestos to protect life, support sustainable economic development and ensure stability Vietnamese society ' , WHO and ILO representatives wrote.

Representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region and International Labor Organization (ILO) Representative Asia Pacific region wrote to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to express the worry about continuing to use chrysotile in construction materials in Vietnam.

The letter sent by WHO and ILO representatives to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

The letter is titled Asbestos-related illnesses and concerns about the continued use of asbestos in construction materials and other products in Vietnam by Dr. Sin Young-soo, WHO Regional Director of Western Thai Region. Binh Duong and Mr. Yoshiteru Uramoto, ILO Regional Director Asia Pacific Region signed on August 5.

In his letter, WHO and ILO representatives after talking about the reasons for the need to completely ban the use of asbestos have recommended Vietnam not to continue using chrysotile after 2020 and soon to build a roadmap to eliminate the use of asbestos.

WHO and ILO also promised to continue to provide technical support to eliminate asbestos-related diseases in Vietnam.

Please translate the main content of this letter:

We write this to frankly express our concern about the continued use of chrysotile in construction materials and other products in Vietnam, an important issue related to many other ministries. together.

Chrysotile is the cause of lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestos lung disease, throat cancer and ovarian cancer. Every year, 107,000 people die from asbestos-related diseases and 1.5 million others have to live with disabilities due to asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos is considered to be the most toxic occupational carcinogen with more than half of occupational cancer deaths.

Vietnam is the world's tenth largest asbestos consumer in terms of quantity and the seventh in terms of the average amount of asbestos consumed per capita. In Vietnam, asbestos is used in the production of asbestos-cement sheets (fibro-cement roofing sheets), automobile, motorbike brakes, insulation materials on ships, boilers and other applications.

The Vietnamese government has long recognized the toxicity of asbestos and banned the use of asbestos of amphibole groups since 1998. However, the use of chrysotile continues and has shown signs of increasing in recent years. Since the plan has been gradually reduced and proceeded to ban completely asbestos in construction materials in 2004, it will be retired to 2010 and then to 2020. It is worth mentioning that there is a possibility of using asbestos in Construction materials will last until 2030 as proposed by the draft National Planning for Building Materials Development.

Dr. Sin Young-soo, WHO Regional Director of the Western Pacific at a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung during his visit and working in Vietnam, March 2014.(Photo: VNA)

WHO and ILO recommend ban all types of asbestos as the most effective measure to eliminate asbestos-related diseases for the following reasons:

Reasons for public health: Continued evidence suggests that countries are suffering from asbestos-related diseases in proportion to their national consumption of asbestos. This once again confirms that the burden of asbestos-related diseases in (developing) countries is derived from over-reliance on asbestos in previous decades, regardless of efforts to 'safe use' of asbestos.

Vietnam has recorded cases of mesothelioma. We suggest that Vietnam do not delay further decisions to wait for more cases. International evidence of chrysotile is the cause of cancer that has been clearly demonstrated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Economic reasons: Asbestos-containing products are often cited as the reason for continued use of asbestos, especially in the supply of cheap roofing sheets to the poor. However, the 'cheap' factor needs to be considered in relation to the compensation costs for workers working in the asbestos industry due to asbestos-related diseases. Besides, it is also necessary to take into account the costs for many people, especially the poor who are living in houses using toxic roofing sheets. The costs of dismantling asbestos-containing materials have been proved to be very high, causing a delay in banning asbestos in many countries.

There have been replacement materials for asbestos produced on an industrial scale in Vietnam. The technology of producing non-asbestos roofing sheets developed in Vietnam is an opportunity for local job creation and an opportunity for Vietnam to establish a position in the green industry in the region. Increasing the production of these products will also reduce the price of non-asbestos roofing sheets, including serving poor people.

Social security is another reason for the ban on asbestos. Experience in developed countries shows that many incidents and individual lawsuits against the government because the government has not protected public health due to the approval of continued use of asbestos.

Timely action must be taken to prevent the continued use of asbestos as a construction material and completely ban all types of asbestos to protect life, support the development of sustainable economic growth and ensure stability. Vietnamese society.

We recommend that Vietnam will not continue to use chrysotile after 2020 and soon build a roadmap to eliminate the use of asbestos in Vietnam.

We know that there are many signals from governments. These are feasible financial and technological conditions so that many factories can switch to safer materials and technologies while increasing export opportunities. More than 50 countries have completely banned the use of asbestos.

We believe that such a decision will greatly contribute to health protection for thousands of workers and millions of others at risk of future exposure from asbestos-containing products as well as disease risks. asbestos related.

Nourishment is the most valuable value that every pensioner and a healthy community is the solid foundation for development. Understanding this, the Government of Vietnam has made great efforts and invested heavily in protecting people's health. The decision to ban all types of asbestos will contribute to strengthening the health of all Vietnamese people.

WHO and ILO will continue to provide technical support to eliminate asbestos-related diseases in Vietnam.