Several labor advocacy groups yesterday called for a complete ban on the use of asbestos, a highly toxic mineral commonly used in construction and to fireproof materials, as occupational exposure to it has caused an increase in asbestos-related diseases.
Asbestos-induced lung cancer has increased among men and women and people who work in professions with high levels of exposure to asbestos dust are between 2.86 and 5.78 times more likely to develop asbestos-related cancer, National Health Research Institutes researcher and physician Lee Jyuhn-hsiarn (李俊賢) said.
The occurrence of malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer of the cells that form a protective lining that covers many internal organs, has been increasing rapidly, from 40 cases per year from 1997 to 2008 to more than 73 in 2010, suggesting that asbestos-related occupational diseases have peaked, Lee said.
Taiwan Labor Front secretary-general Son Yu-liam (孫友聯) said asbestos is banned in more than 50 nations, but the material is still legal in Taiwan, adding that the nation has imported more than 2,000 tonnes of asbestos in the past three years.
Taiwan Occupational Safety and Health Link director Cheng Ya-wen (鄭雅文) said that asbestos is the primary cause of occupational cancer in the world, accounting for more than 30 percent of the occupational diseases indemnified by labor insurance in Germany and Japan, while Japan has a special relief act to compensate for asbestos-related diseases due to non-occupational exposure.
However, the Bureau of Labor Insurance recognized less than five asbestos-related diseases each year, suggesting a serious underestimation, Cheng said, adding that symptoms of asbestos-related diseases generally take 20 years to develop after initial exposure and therefore a long-term tracking of high-risk groups is necessary.
“Asbestos-related diseases are not a problem of the past. It is ongoing and on the rise, but the government has not taken proper measures regarding workers’ asbestos exposure and disease management,” Cheng said.
The groups called on the government to impose an immediate ban on asbestos, establish a medical database to track and manage the health of high-risk groups, and re-examine the recognition and compensation system of occupational diseases.
The bureau said that people who develop asbestos-related diseases could apply for disability benefits within five years of diagnosis.
The Environmental Protection Administration said that it has banned asbestos in construction and piping, and that asbestos could only be used in brake pads, while a full ban would be enacted in 2018, but products containing asbestos would still be allowed to be imported under the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ regulations.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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