Asbestos in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - A Public Health

Time Bomb

Women in Europe for a Common Future - WECFWomen in Europe for a Common Future - WECF

www.wecf.eu

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• WHO estimates that currently 125 million people are being occupationally exposed to asbestos, including women and children

• ILO estimates asbestos causes 100.000 deaths globally every year through occupational exposure alone.

All Asbestos KillsAll Asbestos Kills

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• WECF discovered with shock that NGO partners wanted to use asbestos for ecological construction

• NGOs and the public had been told, that “their” asbestos was safe

• WECF bought samples in Kazakhstan and had them tested in a laboratory in Germany

• The chrysotile asbestos from Ka zakhstan is no different

EECCA Asbestos - just as badEECCA Asbestos - just as bad

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Huge asbestos use in EECCA Huge asbestos use in EECCA regionregion

We discovered:• almost all new buildings

are build with asbestos• Asbestos Industry is

powerful• Scientists and politicians

are not aware

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Primary exposure is often regulated by the governments

But even secondary exposure is effecting millions of women and children in the EECCA region

Cases of mesothelomia cancer• Women washing clothes of asbestos workers• Women playing as child near asbestos factory

Women and children: affectedWomen and children: affected

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mesothelioma development risks increase sharply • in the case of long-term exposure to low doses of

asbestos comparatively • rare exposure to high doses

Therefore, women and children at risk from:• Houses, schools, playgrounds with asbestos • Asbestos dust in cities with asbestos factories

Women and children at riskWomen and children at risk

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WECF project on asbestos

WECF started a project on inventory and awareness raising

www.wecf.org

Previous Actions

• Publishing an inventory report on asbestos in EECCA region in English and Russian

• Publishing a fact sheet on asbestos in EECCA region in Russian, Kazakh, Ukrain and English

• Presenting the finings at a side event at COP4 of Rotterdam Convention