09:50 - 12:30, International Conference Hall
Plenary Session 1
Global Health Impact of Asbestos: Urgent Action is needed
Chairs: Kogi Kazutaka and Laurie Kazan-Allen
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1Noor Jehan, 2Irshad Ahmad and 2Syed Hamidullah
1 Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar
2NCE in Geology, University of Peshawar, Pakistan
ABSTRACT:
Due to the diverse use of asbestos, the source of environmental, occupational and Para-occupational exposure of asbestos dust is the common phenomenon of the today's life around the globe, particularly in Asia. In Pakistan there are thousands of sources responsible for the dissemination of respirable asbestos dust include mining, scrapes of old ships, milling, sorting, crushing, grinding, and manufacturing units and the handling of various products according to their functional characteristics. Exposure to airborne asbestos fibers remains area of great concern in the field of occupational and Para-occupational lung disease. Despite the extensive studies and the known health effects associated with this deadly fiber is still unrecognized and uncontrolled by the Environmental Protection Agencies and Health Departments, Government of Pakistan.
In this paper the authors will present the qualitative and quantitative health hazards and risks load posed by the airborne asbestos dust to occupational and Para-occupational groups in Pakistan. Various nature of samples were collected and has been analyzed using polarized light microscope, scanning electron microscope and X. Ray Diffraction techniques to confirm the type, concentration and size of air born asbestos fibers present indoor and in the ambient air in different locations in Pakistan. The analytical data reveal that the concentration of asbestos fibers is hundred times greater than the permissible exposure limit in all samples. Apart from that hundreds of asbestos mining, industrial workers and women's and children's living in the vicinities of those units were interviewed and follow up studies were also conducted to confirm the relationship of the health risks to asbestos. It was found that almost 90% of the patients suffering from various lung diseases were exposed to airborne asbestos fiber somewhere, some time in their life.
Key words: Asbestos, lung Diseases, occupational and Para-occupational Health