TUC Risks 16th February 2008 warned that governments must take urgent action to ban asbestos worldwide and to head off a massive asbestos industry promotional push, campaigners have said.
Eighty delegates from unions, asbestos groups and international tripartite, enforcement and expert bodies from 33 countries met in Vienna this month to devise an effective response to the occupational and public health menace posed by asbestos.
Klaus Wiesehügel, president of BWI, the global construction union federation that organised the conference, told delegates: 'Asbestos should be on the agenda of all governments as the consequences of an exposure to asbestos will be much more serious than we thought a few years ago.' He said industry lobbying was focusing increasingly on developing countries.
An asbestos industry-backed bid to undermine the initiative by organising a counter-conference in the same venue came to nothing, attracting just 20 delegates and a selection of industry hacks. Igor Fedotov from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said: 'All serious scientists are opposing this opinion. The best prevention is a worldwide ban!' Fiona Murie, director of BWI's health and safety programme, said 'many victims do not know that they were exposed to asbestos and, because of the long time lag between exposure and the emergence of the symptoms, asbestos diseases are not correctly diagnosed, treated, compensated or, most importantly, prevented.'
A declaration agreed at the conference said participating organisations were 'committed to promote the global ban of all forms of asbestos from the construction industry and from all other industrial sectors; to promote the effective regulation of work with in-situ asbestos in demolition, conversion, renovation and maintenance works by law; to work for the elimination of diseases caused by asbestos; to promote social justice for those affected by asbestos.'
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