Document 5kZmbb6enw0L1vnOnx3gnpnbJ

FILE NAME: Asbestos Sacks and Bags (ASB) DATE: 1967 Apr 17 DOC#: ASB094 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: House of Commons Official Report - AsbestosCancer Risks ij IF /r-y \i FFICIAL REPORT 1 Monday, 17th April, 1967 i i Asbestos (Cancer Risks) Mrs. Joyce Butler asked the Minister or Labour ii' he is aware of the danger to dockers from the risks of cancer from handling asbestos; and if he will make a statement. Mr. Gunter: 1 understand that asbestos may be associated with two kinds of cancer. .The first is lung cancer. This occurs more often among people who have asbestosis than it does among the general population. Asbestosis is a lung disease which is contracted through working daily over a. period of months or years in fairly heavy concentrations of asbestos dust. 1 am informed that there is no recorded case of a docker contracting asbestosis from his work, and dockers arc therefore no more likely to get lung cancer than anybody else. It appears that asbestos is also asso ciated with another kind of cancer called mesothelioma. This affects the covering rather than the substance of the lung. It may also affect the lining of the abdominal cavity. It is a very rare disease. Even now with all the publicity that has been 'given to the subject in the Medical and National Press, reports of new eases are still only coming in at the rate of less than 50 a year. Of the new cases being reported each year, a substantial majority are thought to have had some occupational exposure to asbestos. Three main kinds of asbestos arc im ported into this country. About threequarters of it is chrysolite or white asbestos; about one-fifth is amosite or brown asbestos, and about one-twentieth is crocidolilc or blue asbestos. Current evidence points to blue asbestos as being the variety most commonly associated with mesothelioma. It is impossible to be certain that the oi Iters are harm loss, but the risks are cert ait:tly n n i."h le s s thiu> with blue asbestos. The chance that any indiv id u a 1 do.::!;cr will get mesothelioma ;s rent Oil.'. T h i is true even with the precaittio:is that !Ul\ c been taken in the past . My U v p i'n t;i'.oni is revising the Docks li e g u l. `.i.O liS sO !\> quire additional ptet'autiori s . In ihc meantime we have reco n lin e tided to he producers, importers and users that asbestos of any kind shoeilu o n ly hi* imported into and transported wilhin this country if it is in dust- and libre-pu.-of containers. Unlined hessian sacks allow too much dust io escape. Multi-wall paper sacks may split under load. Like certain other kinds of packaging such as some kinds of polythene bag they ,vy tear easily and so arc not woolly cTsfactory. Better results have been obitv \'J by using hessian lined with or bonjed lo polythene or paper and other pro: us ing lines are being investigated. We must assume that blue asp? tos cannot be handled safely even in !.-:> which are normally reasonably :! pi oof. Satisfactory conditions car. b wcvcr be obtained if the blue asbesn - is packed in dust-proof containers \v! rh arc then stacked on pallets which an be handled mechanically. An even b. ter method which in time may web be adopted for asbestos is to use coni;. :er ships. Dockers are at present crtlv -cry slightly at risk of getting mesdthcli, a from asbestos. No one can guarantee lat any process is 100 per cent safe, but all our present knowledge suggests tlw if our recommendations arc followed doc ;rs should in future be at no greater risk an the rest of the population. f