The Danish Confederation of Trade Unions

April 2005
ASBESTOS
- in Denmark and at the global level
The international health & safety day on 28 April 2005, "Safe and healthy work for all
prevention and responsibility"
Contents
Asbestos in Denmark and at the global level .................................................... 3
A Danish prohibition of the use of asbestos ..................................................... 4
Asbestos still kills.............................................................................................. 4
Too few workers are granted industrial injur benefits for injuries
!aused b o!!upational e"posure to asbestos. ................................................. 4
#"posure to asbestos in 2005 and in the ears to !ome ................................... 5
Danish rules on the management of asbestos waste. ........................................ $
Awareness of asbestos is diminishing in Denmark ............................................ %
The problems with asbestos are fare from solved at the global level ............... %
Denmark has a global responsibilit ................................................................. &
The !ampaigns of the international trade union movement in 2005 and 200$ . &
Denmark's failure to ratif the ()* Asbestos +onvention ............................... &
2
Asbestos in Denmark and at the global level
,or hundreds of ears now- we have known that Asbestos is a lethal mineral- and this has
been do!umented s!ientifi!all man ears ago. (n Denmark- asbestos has been prohibited
sin!e ./&$- and demolition work- maintenan!e work and waste disposal are subje!t to stri!t
safet rules.
Despite the asbestos ban- there !ontinues to be e"posure risks in !onne!tion with the
demolition- et!- of asbestos waste.
0eanwhile- asbestos1related diseases are taking epidemi!1like proportions these ears. 2e
are onl just beginning to see the !ar!inogeni! effe!ts of the high e"posure levels of the
./$0s and ./%0s. (f the warnings regarding the health ha3ards of asbestos had been taken
seriousl from the outset- all these tragi! deaths and life1threatening diseases whi!h have
followed in the wake of asbestos e"posure !ould have been avoided.
,ortunatel- it looks as if asbestos has now been effe!tivel removed from the working
environment of Danish workers. 2hen looking at the global situation- however- the
prospe!ts are not so bright. Asbestos !ontinues to be mined- produ!ed and used in man
!ountries- and man workers are thus !ontinuousl e"posed to the lethal effe!ts of asbestos.
There are also e"amples of ri!h !ountries and !ni!al !orporations using developing
!ountries as dumping grounds for their asbestos waste. (n 2005- on!e again- we have seen
this in !onne!tion with !ompanies sending Danish ships to (ndia for breaking up under
terrible working !onditions 4 despite their promises not to do so. 2e need to keep a
wat!hful ee on shad methods like these whi!h international !onventions have-
unfortunatel- not et had the ne!essar power to prevent.
The Asbestos +onvention of the ()* is a tool whi!h !an be used internationall to regulate
the risk fa!tors involved in the work with asbestos. 30 !ountries have ratified this asbestos
!onvention 4 and Denmark is not one of them.
(f Denmark is to take on an international responsibilit vis151vis the fight against asbestos- a
ratifi!ation of the asbestos !onvention is one of the signals that must be sent to the
international !ommunit.
The Danish +onfederation of Trade 6nions 7)*8 estimates that there is nothing that stands
in the wa of a Danish ratifi!ation 4 The 9overnment and :arliament onl need to take the
formal steps to bring about ratifi!ation.
(+,T6- The (nternational +onfederation of ,ree Trade 6nions- has de!ided to laun!h a
global !ampaign in 2005 on a prohibition of the use of asbestos and will- amongst others-
work for the adoption of a resolution on a global prohibition of the use of asbestos at the
()* +onferen!e of 200$.
Denmark should de!lare its support for a global prohibition su!h as this one- and the
government should also take this opportunit to announ!e that it will seek to ensure a
Danish ratifi!ation of the ()* Asbestos +onvention.
A Danish prohibition of the use of asbestos
,or man ears now- Denmark has had a total ban on an form of import- manufa!ture- use
and pro!essing of asbestos. The use of asbestos for insulation purposes was prohibited in
3
./%2 and the stri!t prohibition of asbestos in the !ontents of eternit slabs finall !ame
through in ./&$. Despite the asbestos ban- there are still e"posure risks in !onne!tion with
the demolition- et!- of asbestos waste.
Asbestos still kills
Despite the Danish asbestos prohibition- there are man indi!ations that we have- so far-
onl seen the top of the i!eberg as regards the number of pulmonar disease !aused b
asbestos. This is an underestimated problem 4 also in Denmark. A!!ording to the ;ritish
0edi!al <ournal- during the ne"t 25 ears- .00-000 persons 1 in the industrialised !ountries
alone 1 will die as a !onse=uen!e of pulmonar diseases !aused b e"posure to asbestos.
Denmark introdu!ed a total prohibition of asbestos ./ ears ago now. This has had the
preventive effe!t that asbestos has now almost been !ompletel removed from the working
environment. Toda- e"posure risks are so low that the onl risk !ausing a minimal number
of new disease outbreaks in future.
>till- we have not et seen the full impa!t of the !ar!inogeni! effe!ts of asbestos. As earlier
mentioned- it takes between .0 to 40 ears from the initial e"posure to asbestos before the
e"posed person falls ill. ;etween ./55 and ./&0 a large =uantit of asbestos was imported
into and used in Denmark. The asbestos !onsumption peaked in the ./%0s. During this
period- .001.50-000 individuals have been working with asbestos in Denmark.
The number of notifi!ations and re!ognitions of asbestos1related diseased is therefore
!urrentl on the rise and will !ontinue to rise for a number of ears to !ome. (t is e"pe!ted
that the number of in!idents of pleural !an!er will rise from the appro"imatel .00 annual
!ases at present to around .25 during the ne"t de!ade. (n addition to this- there will be an
annual number of appro". 250 Danes with diagnosed pulmonar !an!er and an unknown
number of Danes will be diagnosed with !an!ers of the stoma!h or larn" as a !onse=uen!e
of the e"posure to asbestos.
Too few workers are granted industrial injury benefits for injuries
caused by occupational exposure to asbestos.
Danish workers are entitled to damages if the suffer from an o!!upational asbestos1related
illness- but man workers lose their right to damages be!ause their industrial injur has not
been notified and registered !orre!tl.
A!!ording to a surve from the Danish +an!er ?egister- onl 55@ of all diagnosed pleural
!an!ers were notified to the Aational ;oard of (ndustrial (njuries between .//4 and 2002.
This happened in spite of the fa!t that we know that &0 4 /0@ of all in!idents of pleural
!an!er are work1related.
The responsibilit for the failure to report in!idents of pleural !an!er rests with the do!tors.
Do!tors have an obligation to report !ases of illnesses to The Aational ;oard of (ndustrial
(njuries and The Aational 2orking #nvironment Authorit if the have the slightest
suspi!ion that the illness the diagnose ma be work1related.
The Aational ;oard of (ndustrial (njuries has promised to follow1up this surve and to make
a targeted attempt to inform do!tors treating asbestos vi!tims better- so that terminall ill
patients do not risk missing out on the !ompensation that the are entitled to. The Danish
trade union movement will be monitoring this development !losel.
4
Exposure to asbestos in !!" and in the years to come
The use of asbestos peaked in the ./%0s and was thus used in more than 3000 different
produ!ts. Amongst others- asbestos was used in the building and !onstru!tion industr- the
shipbuilding industr- train produ!tion- at glassworks- distri!t heating stations- in the
asbestos !ement industr and in the brake lining industr.
#states and buildings dating earlier than ./%2 whi!h have not et been renovated are
therefore !ertain to !ontain asbestos in basement pipes and boilers. #ternit slates on roofs- in
flower !ribs and in wallboards manufa!tured before ./&$ also !ontain asbestos.
During the late &0s- attempts were made to !ontain the problems with asbestos instead of
eliminating them on!e and for all. A number of good stopgap measures have been !arried
out in the form of surfa!e treatments or b !overing old asbestos !eiling sheets with new
asbestos1free !eiling sheets. The asbestos has been en!apsulated and we have thus BensuredC
that our grand !hildren now also risk e"posure to asbestos when renovating and demolishing
buildings and !onstru!tions ere!ted prior to ./%2. This problem has been enhan!ed b the
fa!t that there has onl been a limited registration of the buildings that !ontain the
en!apsulated asbestos.
(n spite of the Danish prohibition of asbestos- there are still large amounts of asbestos in
Denmark- and man workers !ontinue to be e"posed to this lethal substan!e. This is
parti!ularl the !ase in the building and !onstru!tion industr.
5
Where is asbestos found today
*!!upationa
l group
:rodu!t
:reviousl1installed
asbestos !ement
:reviousl1
installed
insulating
material
;onded
gaskets
Aon1bonded
gaskets
*ther outdated
Dpreviousl
installed produ!ts
(nsulation
work
:ipes and
boilers
(nflatable
valvesD heat
e"!hangersD
pipe bends.
>moke du!ts
;oilers.
*vens.
Asbestos !ushions
on turbines and
engines
Eeating-
water and
sanitation
#arth1!ondu!tors
;reatherDFentilatio
n pipes in asbestos
!ement
Eeating flutes for
distri!t heating.
>lated roofs
:ipes-
!ontainers and
boilers in
furna!es and
heat e"!hangers
in heating
plants
Fentilation
pipes
:ipe gaskets
high1pressure
gaskets
pumps
Falves
+hemi!al
pro!essing
plants
;oilersDhot1
water boilers.
*il burners
Top !overs. 2et
filters.
#"plosion
valves.
9as radiators
7gaskets-
ventilation pipes-
ba!kboards8
#le!tri!ians ,ireproof !able
du!ts +able du!ts
in asbestos1!ement
sheets +eiling
sheets
,ire resistant
!ables with orange
plasti! !overing.
(nsulation of
ele!tri! !abinets
Asbestos
millboard in older
ele!tri!1 heating
devi!es
<oiners and
!arpentersD
floor fitters
Asbestos !ement
sheets for roofs and
frontages
+eiling and wall1
sheathing.
Air shafts.
,lower !ribs
2indow sills
>tripping of
asbestos floors
7magnetite8
,illing material
Finl floor
!overing
Digging and
!on!rete
work
Asbestos !ement
sheets for roofs-
frontages- walls and
!eilings Tar paper
sheathing ?ubbish
!hutes. Fentilation
du!ts and heating
flutes.
furna!e1 and
boiler rooms
,illing material
Asbestos flooring
:ainters ?emoval and high1
pressure !leaning of
asbestos !ement.
fillings of walls and
!eilings !ontaining
asbestos.
:utt
<oint sealer and
filling material
0asons 2eatherboards
+overed masonr
Tile adhesive
Asbestos flooring
7magnetite8
Demolition
work
All areas under other o!!upational groups mentioned in this table
>our!eG Asbestos guideline- The 2orking #nvironment +oun!il of the ;uilding H +onstru!tion (ndustr
$
Danish rules on the management previously#installed asbestos
(n spite of the Danish prohibition of asbestos- man workers !ontinue to be e"posed to
asbestos at work- primaril in !onne!tion with demolition- renovation and maintenan!e.
Toda- we know the serious !onse=uen!es of e"posure to asbestos Therefore- all forms of
work involving asbestos are subje!t to restri!tive safet rules that must be observed. These
rules have last been tightened in 2004 due to in!reased restri!tions in!orporated into the
#6's asbestos dire!tives.
(n 200$- The #6's >enior )abour (nspe!tors' +ommittee 7>)(+8 will give spe!ial fo!us to
the management of previousl1installed asbestos 1 for instan!e in !onne!tion with demolition
work.
The Danish rules on asbestos !ontain ver spe!ifi! !riteria for the organisation and !leaning
of the workpla!e- as well as personal prote!tive e=uipment- ma"imum working hours-
fen!ing of workpla!es and warning signs. The #"e!utive *rder in =uestion !ontains rules on
demolition- repair and maintenan!e work. ,urthermore- it !ontains rules on notifi!ation-
training and measuring of asbestos !ontents as well as spe!ifi! rules on the handling of
asbestos waste. ,urthermore- a!!ording to these regulations- workers e"posed to asbestos
shall have a!!ess to health e"aminations and must be registered- et!.
Awareness of asbestos is diminishing in Denmark
(n spite of the knowledge we have on the !onse=uen!es of e"posure to asbestos toda- and
the restri!tive rules that have been introdu!ed on the management of previousl1installed
asbestos- there are still man e"amples of ill1planned demolition and renovation work whi!h
fails to live up to the asbestos regulations.
The rules on the handling of asbestos must alwas be observed if there is onl the slightest
indi!ation that a worker ma be e"posed to asbestos in !onne!tion with hisDher work.
0eanwhile- the problem is that awareness of asbestos risks has dropped to a ver low level.
0an artisans and field engineers 4 parti!ularl the ounger !onstru!tion workers 4 are
unwittingl e"posed to materials !ontaining asbestos without enjoing the prote!tion of the
intensified awareness whi!h was seen in the ./&0s.
The problems with asbestos are fare from solved at the global level
9loball- two million workers die ever ear due to poor health and safet !onditions. ,rom
these two million- appro"imatel .-$m die as a !onse=uen!e of work1related illnesses.
Asbestos alone is one of the most important 4 if not the single most important 4 risk fa!tors.
At the world level- asbestos is still produ!ed and !onsumed to a !onsiderable e"tent. The
estimated annual world produ!tion of asbestos is 2m tonnes. The global produ!tion is thus
presentl at the same level as in ./$0. There are seven major manufa!turers that ea!h
produ!es 50-000 tonnes a ear. ?ussia and +anada held together produ!e %& @ of the total
global asbestos produ!tion. The !onsumption of asbestos is almost e=uivalent to its
produ!tion but the !onsumers are diffi!ult to identif. 0eanwhile- ?ussia is the single largest
manufa!turer and pur!haser of asbestos in the world. (n addition to this- it is important to
underline- that 20@ of !onsumption takes pla!e in developing !ountries and $2 @ takes
pla!e in #astern and +entral #urope.
(n re!ent ears- the developing !ountries' share of asbestos !onsumption has risen
!on!urrentl with the redu!tion or stop of !onsumption in industrialised !ountries. >ome
%
industrialised !ountries produ!e vast amounts of asbestos without !onsuming an of it
themselves. Eowever- the market and e"port it for developing !ountries. This is a serious
ethi!al and legislative issue in global trade.
The Danish Ce"portC of asbestos problems b sending ships for breaking up in developing
!ountries raise similar ethi!al issues. (n 2005- we have seen other e"amples of this- as Danish
ferries 4 despite all promises 4 have been sent to (ndia for breaking up under terrible
working !onditions. A wat!hful ee needs to be kept on su!h shad pra!ti!es.
During the past de!ades- asbestos has !aused serious health problems in the industrialised
world- and it will !ause even greater problems in developing !ountries as well as in growing
e!onomies- su!h as +hina and (ndia 4 where the !apa!it to produ!e and !onsume asbestos
is high !on!urrentl with a disproportionatel low level of risk knowledge and !apa!it for
prevention and !ontrol. (f world !onsumption remains at its !urrent level and spreads to
developing !ountries- the asbestos epidemi! that have seen in the industrialised !ountries
will !ontinue long into the ne"t !entur- but in other parts of the world.
Denmark has a global responsibility
Toda- Denmark has a working environment whi!h is virtuall asbestos1free. ;ut this does
not mean that the task is !ompleted. 2e have a dut to a!t to ensure that the global working
environment also be!omes asbestos free 1 or at least to work to ensure- that workers world
wide enjo e=uivalent minimum rights at their workpla!es.
Toda- we have an international tool to regulate the risk fa!tors involved in the work with
asbestos- namel the Asbestos +onvention of the ()*- I>afet in the use of asbestos 7no.
.$28 whi!h was adopted in ./&$. (f a !ountr !hooses to ratif this +onvention- it is legall
binding and must be implemented through national legislation. The +onvention is !onstituted
of a set of guidelines on how to handle asbestos in a wa whi!h observes health H safet
standards but- unfortunatel- it !ontains no prohibition against the use of asbestos. This is
due to the fa!t that an su!h initiatives are opposed b !ertain !ountries that !ontinue to let
the e!onomi! advantages in !onne!tion with asbestos pre!ede preventive perspe!tives.
>o far- onl 30 !ountries have ratified the asbestos !onvention. This means that
appro"imatel &5 @ of the world population is still not !overed b a ratified !onvention on
asbestos. 2hat is even worse is that more workers are left with absolutel no form of
effi!ient prote!tion. There is an urgent need to ensure universal minimum rights on this issue
for workers at a global level.
Denmark is among the !ountries that have not et ratified the ()* Asbestos +onvention.
The asbestos campaigns of the international trade union movement in
!!" and !!$
,or a number of ears now- the international trade union movement has attempted to
introdu!e a re=uirement for the prohibition of asbestos. The (+,T6 +ongress of 2004
de!ided to make efforts to obtain su!h a worldwide prohibition. (n !ertain !ountries-
re=uirements will also be set up to provide !ompensations for workers when mines and
produ!tion sites are !losed down.
The international trade union movement 7(+,T68 has subse=uentl de!ided to !arr out a
global !ampaign on a possible asbestos prohibition. An attempt will be made to adopt a
&
resolution on a global prohibition of asbestos at the (nternational )abour +onferen!e of the
()* in 200$. ,urthermore- attempts will be made to promote the ()* asbestos +onvention.
The !ampaign will be laun!hed in !onne!tion with the (nternational )abour +onferen!e of
the ()* in <une 2005.
)* will seek to obtain Danish support for this !ampaign as well as support for a global
prohibition. 2e would like to see the Danish government announ!e an approa!hing
ratifi!ation of the ()* Asbestos +onvention.
Danish failure to ratify the %&' Asbestos Convention
)* would wel!ome a Danish ratifi!ation of the ()* Asbestos +onvention. As !an be seen
from the =uote below- )* assesses that neither the provisions of the +onvention nor the
Danish regulation pose an real obsta!le to ratifi!ation. Eowever- ratifi!ation simpl
re=uires the government and the Danish :arliament to take the ne!essar formal steps.
An offi!ial e"planation to the Danish failure to ratif the ()* Asbestos +onvention follows
in the below memorandum from the 0inistr of #mploment to the >tru!tural +ommittee of
The 2orking #nvironment +oun!il in April 2002.
ontents! The "onvention has been ratified by 2# "o$ntries and is abo$t health & safety
%eas$res in "onne"tion with the $se of asbestos& The "onvention establishes that national
le'islation %$st be prepared in this area "ontainin' provisions and pro"ed$res re'ardin'
the prote"tive and preventive %eas$res to be taken in "onne"tion with the $se of asbestos&
($rther%ore, a %onitorin' syste% of the labo$r %arket %$st be set $p with a view to
"ontrollin' the $se of asbestos and for effi"ient enfor"e%ent of the safety re'$lations&
)eason for non*ratifi"ation! +n a""ordan"e with the te,t of the "onvention, appropriate
health & safety %eas$res %$st be established in "onne"tion with de%olition work& This
%$st be done by %eans of a$thorisations fro% de%olition "o%panies -"f& arti"le ./0& +n
1en%ark, we do not apply s$"h a syste% of a$thorisation& 2owever, there is a re3$ire%ent
for spe"ifi" trainin'4
)* agrees with the fa!t that we do not have an authorisation s!heme for demolition
!ompanies. Eowever- we assess that the la!k of an authorisation s!heme does not in itself
stand in the wa of a Danish ratifi!ation. (n our view- the Danish asbestos provisions full
ensure a level of prote!tion whi!h !orresponds to the level of prote!tion pres!ribed b the
()* regulations.
Amongst other things- we have a good training programme for asbestos workers whi!h has
been approved b the Aational 2orking #nvironment Authorit.
,urthermore- it is a fa!t that a number of #61!ountries have ratified the Asbestos
+onvention in spite of the fa!t that the do not have an authorisation s!heme. This is the
!ase in >weden and 9erman- for e"ample. These !ountries have regulations on this area
and in other areas whi!h are !omparable to Danish regulations.
(n Denmark- the demolition of materials !ontaining asbestos indoors in buildings- ships-
trains and ma!hines must be reported to the lo!al working environment authorit prior to
the !ommen!ement of the demolition work. >u!h notifi!ation is also !ompulsor for other
tpes of work with asbestos unless this onl involves short1term or low levels of e"posure to
asbestos. As is the !ase in >weden and in 9erman- !ertain forms of less ha3ardous asbestos
work are thus e"empt from the re=uirement to notif the authorities.
/