The Pingtung County Government is to subsidize the removal of materials containing asbestos from approximately 20,000 buildings in the county.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was widely used in construction materials in the 1960s and 1970s for its strength and resistance to heat, which lend themselves to building insulation. However, asbestos is no longer used as it has been linked to cancer and lung disease.
Photo courtesy of the Pingtung County Government via CNA
In recent years, many property owners have removed asbestos from their buildings, but have often discarded it improperly to avoid the high cost of professional removal, which presents a risk to the natural environment and local residents, the county said in a press release on Tuesday.
Through satellite telemetry the county estimated that as many as 20,000 buildings in Pingtung still contain asbestos, and it has applied to the Ministry of Environment to help fund the proper removal of asbestos where it still exists, the county said.
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