Construction
People working in construction have historically been at a high-risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases due to the substantial amounts of asbestos used in the fireproofing and insulation of public buildings, private residences, factories, schools and infrastructure projects such as airports and train stations [see: Where can you find asbestos, The Question of Asbestos In The United States of America, Asbestos Disease registries].
From the 1950s, asbestos was used on a massive scale in the Australian building industry; much of it went into the construction of “fibro” houses. It is not surprising therefore that of 3,752 respondents to a mesothelioma questionnaire covering 1986-2000, 14% (521) were carpenters/joiners, builders/laborers [see: Mesothelioma: Australian Data and Research, Fatal Collapse of Asbestos Roof].
UK government data show that amongst the top 10 occupations with the highest risk of contracting mesothelioma, asbestos cancer, are: plumbers and gas fitters, carpenters, electricians and construction workers. Research by trade unionists in Denmark, a country which banned asbestos over twenty years ago, substantiates the high incidence of mesothelioma and lung cancer in construction workers [Asbestos A Never Ending Story].
An analysis of compensation claims made for asbestos-related disease in Quebec, Canada has found that 42% of the claims were from workers in the construction, maintenance and building repair sectors [Quebec Asbestos Record Further Reason Not to export to Developing Nations].
Today, more building workers die each year from past exposures to asbestos than are killed in falls [Consensus on Asbestos Hazard, Killing the Future - Asbestos Use in Asia].
As 90% of current global asbestos consumption is for asbestos-cement construction materials used in the developing world, building workers in Asia are at serious risk of contracting deadly asbestos diseases; the fact that the vast majority of them work in the unregulated informal sector with no masks, protective equipment or training is, given all that is known about the asbestos hazard, unconscionable [India: Asbestos Deaths Mount as Production Expands].
The World Health Organization (WHO) has remarked on the difficulties in preventing exposures to asbestos occurring on construction sites:
“Continued use of asbestos cement in the construction industry is a particular concern because the workforce is large, it is difficult to control exposure, and in-place materials have the potential to deteriorate and pose a risk to those carrying out alterations, maintenance and demolition” [WHO Support for Global Asbestos Ban, International Trade Union Conference on Asbestos].
Until global action is taken to ban the use of asbestos and address the problems caused by contaminated products hidden within national infrastructures, construction workers will continue to die from these avoidable diseases.
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Updated February, 2010
