Manager for Asbestos Quality of the JSC "Uralasbest", V.A.Kochelayev

In terms of the use in numerous branches of industry asbestos ranks high among the other forms of mineral raw material. Russia takes the first place in the world in the production and consumption of this mineral.

The mining and use of many mineral resources are associated with negative health affects if rules concerning occupational hygiene are not kept, preventive measures are not taken. The mineral "asbestos" is not an exception. The inhalation of the air contaminated with asbestos- containing dust is associated with a hazard of developing asbestos-related diseases: chronic dust bronchitis, asbestosis, lung cancer.

The programs appeared in this conjunction in the United States and Western Europe are aimed to make the requirements to occupational hygiene more stringent, to restrict and even ban the use of asbestos. The most energetic activities relating to the prohibition of asbestos use were launched by the Environmental Protection Agency, USA which adopted in 1989 the rule concerning the asbestos ban by 1996, In 1991 the U. S. Court of Appeals, for the Fifth Circuit, struck down this rule because the Agency has presented insufficient evidence to justify its asbestos ban. Asbestos use in the United States is authorized at present. The ban extends only to flooring felt, rollboard, corrugated and speciality paper, new use of asbestos. Everything else is authorized: asbestos cement, friction material and many other things. But the wave of anti-asbestos psychose was spread over Western Europe. At present nine countries of the EEC have already totally or partially banned the use of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials nationally. The Directive 1999/77/EC adopted by the Commission of the European Communities on July 26, 1999 proposes to ban the use of asbestos with certain exceptions by January 1, 2005.

The governments of many countries in the world, first of all, of asbestos mining und consuming ones are not agreed with the position regarding the total asbestos ban; many leading scientists including in those countries where asbestos is banned are not agreed with this position. The International Labour Organization and World Health Organization are supporting the safe and controlled-use policy for asbestos.

On the basis of many-year practice of chrysotile asbestos use in Russia, on the basis of the position of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, the Government of the Russian Federation in its Decree dated 31 July, 1998 noted that the bans were not well-grounded and there were no sufficient medical and biological grounds. The Government of me Russian Federation proposed that other countries should abstain from putting the bans in force.

On the question of asbestos use there are two opposite opinions in the world among both scientists and manufacturers: a ban and a controlled use.

What are the reasons of the anti-asbestos campaign ?

1. A high level of the disease incidence and mortality as a result of asbestos use in the past years (the 40s-70s years) in uncontrolled conditions

As most foreign studies have shown, the increased risk of developing asbestos-related diseases has been found mainly in the workers who worked during World War II with asbestos (with amphibole mixed with chrysotile) in the conditions of extremely high concentrations (tens and hundreds mg/cm3) for full lack of protection facilities.

In the last decades considerable measures on improving labour conditions have been taken in the world and in Russia. As a result a level of asbestos-related diseases has decreased. No new case ofasbestosis was revealed for 27 years in the Canadian asbestos-mining enterprises where the approved maximal allowable concentration (MAC) equal to 1 f/ml was not exceeded. No case of asbestosis was also revealed in the Russian asbestos-cement enterprises. Many asbestos-using enterprises in the world have the best technologies which make it possible to reduce an exposure level in the workplace.

At present in the member-countries of the Asbestos International Association only 1.3 % of air dustiness analyses doesn't correspond to the maximal allowable concentration equal to 2 f/ml (many scientists consider this MAC to be a limit between the hazardous and safe exposure to asbestos) and in 96 % of analyses the MAC doesn't exceed 1 f/ml.

Nevertheless, a number of specialists, the opponents of asbestos, extrapolates negative indices of the past to today's production insistently and, to our mind, erroneously.

2. Use of amphibole asbestos in the countries of Western Europe in large amounts

The term "asbestos" is a collective term that represents a large group of naturally -occurring fibrous minerals different from each other in composition, crystalline structure, physical and mechanical properties as well as biological effect on a man's health. Acid resistant asbestos of amphibolic group was being used earlier in Western Europe in large amounts. This asbestos has a higher biological aggressiveness in comparison with chiysotile asbestos. Penetrating into the lungs fibres of amphibolic asbestos can remain in them during human's life-time and fibres of chiysotile asbestos can be dissolved in the acid lung medium. This indicates that the same approach to the evaluation of the effect of different types of asbestos fibres on a man's health is ungrounded.

3. The opinion of some scientists that there is no safe threshold value for asbestos is erroneous

The recognition of a substance as a carcinogen doesn't mean the inevitable developing tumour in contact with it. A real hazard depends on the carcinogenic activity of this substance and dose received by a human. Many scientists consider that at today's exposure levels chrysotile asbestos risk is very small and probably undetectable. This is confirmed by the statistical data in Asbestofthe Sverdlovsk Region. Due to oncological diseases the mortality in Asbest per 100 thousand people is 8 % lower than in Russia and 11 % lower than in the Sverdlovsk Region; the total number of death cases per 1000 people in the town is 10 % lower than in Russia and 12 % lower than in the Sverdlovsk Region. The average life-time in the town is equal to the life-time in tlie Sverdlovsk Region and in Russia. The Ekaterinburg Medical Research Centre for Prevention and Health Protection of Industrial Workers has conducted a comparison of the mortality due to lung cancer among the population who had no occupational contact with asbestos and the population of other towns of the Sverdlovsk Region where there was no asbestos factor. The indices in Asbest were found to be comparable and even lower than those in the "asbestos-free" towns. There are no cases of asbestos-related diseases among the inhabitants of Asbest who do not come in contact with asbestos in the course of their activities. The same result was received in Asbestos and Thetford, Canada where the chrysotile asbestos mining industry is concentrated.

4. Errors or intentional misinformation about the safety of man-made mineral fibres

The documents of the World Health Organization and International Labour Organization which consider the man-made mineral fibres to be possible and probable carcinogens are calling for guarded treatment to them.

5. Unconscientious and non-objective demographic forecasts of both scientists and political figures

For example, according to the prognosis made by Mr. Colifano, Minister of Health, Social Maintenance and Education, USA in 1978, in the nearest years 17 % of the population in the United States will die of cancer due to exposure to asbestos. 20 years have passed, and fortunately this prophecy hasn't come true. But unfortunately the decisions on asbestos ban are being based just on such inexact predictions. After the expiry of the forecast period nobody tries to define coincidence of the predictions with the real facts.

Such dreadful predictions are immediately spread by the media, cause a natural fright among the population and the public, and as a result - the requirements for the ban of a substance.

6. Competition of manufacturers of alternative materials

Objectively this reason can be in any place including in the first one. The anti-asbestos campaign has arisen and is actively being carried out in the countries not having their own deposits of asbestos but having a powerful chemical and metallurgical industry producing substitutes. The transnational concerns use enormous financial means in carrying out the anti- asbestos campaign. The psychologists and economists of these concerns participate in the work of the Commission of the European Union and Council of Europe discussing the problems connected with asbestos. Many firms which specialize in removing asbestos from buildings have appeared in the United States and Western Europe. Their incomes total milliards US dollars. It is natural, that they have actively taken part and are taking part in the anti-asbestos campaign.

7. Political reasons

In most countries politicians were taking decisions on the bans of asbestos without broad discussing, not seldom not taking into account the opinion of the medical science, under the influence of the public movements and the media.

Despite the violent anti-asbestos campaign most countries in the world follow the asbestos controlled-use policy according to the ILO Convention 162 on Safety in the Use of Asbestos. We consider that this is the most weighed, objective position for the welfare of the people of these countries.