Document oD0QXaE3mKzVw1k8K5EL2ybVw

FILE NAME: Z/ZZZ/Ed DATE: & DOC#: /Ed DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION:WZZZ WDZZZZZZZ,,ZZ EZDZZZZZ Z - / > ASBESI'OS IN'fERN.r\TION1\L ASSOCIATION E. E. C. Advisory -Go-mmittee of the A. I. A. DOCUMENT AIA j EFC/B2.l 2 februaryl278 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT'S mOT!ON ron A RESOLUTION ON THE BEAL TU Hrizr~nns Df AS3ESTOS DOC. 344/77 {(( EU/.U!S PiEPOr1T ))) . -. . ' JHM 07537 !~ ~ THE EUflOPEl\N PJ\nUJ\VitrJT DOC.3H/77 !llOTIOH FOR A RESOLUTION OU THE HEALTH' HAZARDS Of ASBESTOS . . . The Euro~ean Parliament, l!av Ing regard to etc. the Comrn1ss!on m the fidd L \\'clcornes the effort being made by of asbestos on human of study and reseai-ch into the effects he~ Ith; 2. co::s1dcrs. hO\\ ever. tha. sufficient ev 1dence ha:; accun1ul<1ted a dangei- both to workers Ill to show that asbestos prese11ts m other b ituat1ons the asbeHOS industry and to those exposed conclusions from thl~ ev ldCllCC; and that 1t Is time to draw 3. stresses that asbestos Is a carcinogen; emphslzes that all varieties of asbestos In use in the Comn1un1ty 4. can present a danger to human health; . 5. endorses the view that furthseirncreesaesaryceht rnnotoagdroeseem/eefnfet cct an breelaftoiounndshaips s to1s wpheectehsesraray;II safe level of exposure" exists; '- I ::> ...:::.. 0 -..1 (l1 w 00 . 6. calls for the setting, at Community level, of tempo::ay hm1ts and based on the cvalual!on of relevant rr.easur ingm et hods Such limits mu:;t be regulurly revieweJ the carcrnogenic ria;k. l.Jy l~1e competent authorille:;; 7. calls for a ban on crocldolite Jn all l\Ii:mber S~ate:oi; B. calls fur a. ban on the sp1aylng of a,,l>estos Ill a 11 Meml.Jt:t' Stc1tes, -I- I i COMt.IENTS Of THE E.E.C. AOVISOnY comm1TTEE . Of THE J\.l.A . ' - 2. by inr: i:;t ing on conclusions to be Jra wn already, the motion tlae findings of the working groups seem.> to \v1sh to anlic1pu~e who are, at present, studyirW this evidence and committees (D.G. III, D.G. V and others). See Appendix 2. 3. carcinogenic effect is attrilJuted nowadays to about 3.000 substances. A:;bestos, when used withouatndthemunsetc, eshseanrcye, prbeecaution::;. presents this danger as well, used correctly. 4. itthiiss rnisokt , dibsuptutteidnsthiast oa"Ol"lly v'tahreiectiaesse hwahveen breei:supiar.a:.bswl;e:iaats~~bIes~tjotsh which may be produced when asbestos ls used I ""!me dust, without the necessary precautions, is inhaled in harmful I quantities. There is no conclusive evidence of risk from mge.stlon. See Appendix 4. the suggested research is going on very actively. As regards 5. the existence of a 11 safe level of exposure", it rnust be kept in 1111nd l11at cases of asbe,,tos cancer appearing today are caused l>y working conditions 20 to 40 years ago, when concentrations of respirable a~bestos fibre are known to have been very 1nuch higher tlwn they are today. See Appendix 5. l\lcnal>er Str.tes have already adopted, following the 6. most of the example of tl1e U.K., a 11rn1t based on the available medical fuels. This limit :;lauultl 0Dv1ously be kept unde1 review in the light of new medical evidence. is e!;sl!nlld to standardize methods of It is agreed that 1t n1ea su rernent. 7. opin10r1 in the 111edit"<d world is not unanimous that croc1dolite Further- v . _ / l s n101e d~ngcr<itts than a11y other va1iety where of abbestos tl1e use of eroc1dol1te 1h11ocrse~, entthlc<1de oJ..n[d'<' wShOellrlCe nit1)pCl1lcll1Lll>Oc I\uSsed under adequately controlled - - - - - - - conJ1tion:J. See flppcnd1x 7. . c.l~lJt!SlOS bhuuld not be used In arpl!catJons 8. the 1ndu:-,try <:gr ecs tt.ut asbe::;tos fibres is d1ff1cult to v i - \,ht:l e the cont1ul ol rcq>11al,le cond1t1ons. J\ sbeslo:; sp1,1ying th.:al:\S; llLl iee:unndLcJ1.banuduru1n1e1J1l~lOrt(H!d'r.cd1yt11I1lgl s urn e !\[ember St.,tes. t ~ .. ~ - .... ' . - .. - - .,........-- - I .:: ' .2 - f.UHOPEArJ Pl\RLIJ\:-~E!IT MOT lGtl FOR J\ ~L:.OLllT!c)N ON Till: CO<'.Ml:l'l;, (F 'l'IiE C.E.C. ,;oVI::iOH"l CUMMIT'l"EE OF 'J"llC /\..I.A. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--~~~~----l lll.Al.Tll 111\Z/\IHJS OF ASOl.STOS calls for the compul:>o1y instalment m all l\!emucr States, sl1cre ' 9. asbe~tos i:> handled, of ltllcrs designed to rctluce the cuflLt:utra- !l . . tlw 10Just1y iully u11<Jerstands the need Joi appiopnate dust I e:,traction equipment de::.igned to reduce the concentrat10n of re:,rlliable a:,ue;:,to:; fibre in work places. It has already t1on of a&l.Je,,tos parucles 111 th: air. devoted suhslanllal capital l!lvc,;tment for this purpose. The regulations alr..,ady enforced u1 n10st Mernber State:; i:.pc~ify the p1ovision of such equipment as an obligation. 10. inntes U1e Commission to review, wllh a viev-. to ha1mon1;:..1tion, the prov1s1ons of the Member States with regani to compensation for asbestos related diseast:s; 10. the industry considers it to be desirable that the criteria for assessing d1s,1biltty due to asbestos exposure should be consistent among all Member ::itatt::s. \Vlth regard to compensat10n,. the whole system of social insurance would need to lie harmonized m order to aclueve consistency. 11. invite:> the Commission to make a siinilar review of current leg1slatwn relating to safety in the a:,;bestos industry also v. ith a v 1ew to harmonizatlon; 11. the industry agrees in prrnc1ple with the need for co11s1stency in :,;afcty regulal10ns. Most Member States have already adopted regulatiun:> wh1cl1 are to a considerable extent consistent in their requirements. The indu:>try consider:> that adequate and h;.rmouized regulation should be adopted throughout the community. 12. hopes that the proposal for a direcuve on rnisleadmg advertlf>Ing ptomised by the Commission will contain provisions to protect tne public from the type of irresponsible advertising campaign that has been launched concerning asuebtos in some l\1emLer States; 13. insists on the right of all members of the population to unbiased mformation, parllcularly in areas such as public 12. the Asb1::stos industry is a responsible industry and is m favour of unbiased information of its employees and of the general public. As such, it has l1ad to defend itself against biased attacks, based on exagerated or false statements. Evidenca can be produced to conflrru that information given was checked w 1th impartial and expert sou1c:es. It can also be stated w tth confidence that the l11dustry has taken a very responsiule attitude in prov1dwg technical advice on dust measurement, technical controls of dust and work practices designed for the protection of the health of workers. A number of publications by the Iudu::;try have been quoted and recommended by National and International organisations, i;uch as the I. L. 0. he:alth; H. calls for a Community-w'de information campaign to be lllltlatcd to i:1form the public in a rational manner of the advantages and disadvantages connected with the use of asbestos; 1-l. the industry has not been inactive in tlus field. The A, I.A., for it>J part, has the same objective in view and would welcome the opportu01ty to harmonize its action with the on~ the motion calls for. However, it feels that the Government organisations in each country can be~t decide how and in which manner it can promote appropriate informatlun. ~ .::r: ~ 0 -.J C.ll <:..v <.D See Appendix 14. !--~~~~~~~~-~~~~- .~~~~~~~~~~~.~~~ 15,) lh" study of tht:se pointti by the working groups engaged in these 15. calls upon the commis:,ion to include asbestos in Annt:X I 16. prolilems (D. G. Ill and others) is already in 1.1.11 advanced state. of the Council Directive of 27 June 1967 concennng the approxim;;tiun of the Ja\\S, regulations and adnun1strat1ve provision relatwg to th<:: class1ficat10n, pack,1g111g and labclllllg of dangerous bUbstallceR; 16. calls upon the Comrnis!.wn to include asbC;~tos 111 the A1mci- of Cc.unc1l Directive of 27 July I !)76 on the appro>.1111allun of the: la'.vS, regul..1t1ons aud adm1n1strat1ve provrn10u:> of the ll'lt.:ml>cr L~~ Sctca1lt:~ !t>a1inred~ laantigne~ groutos ~ r:e;.sibtsn~ lcanticoe:n~ >s aonnd= tphree~ pmaranrtk1~ e0tning,~ and - use ~ of ~__L_~~~~--~~-~~~~~~~ .-....-..~~-.....-----r---~-.~.,............ .. ~--~--- ; -3- EUROPEAtl PARLIAMCNT - ~;QTION FUH A RE!iULUTIOtl ON 'l'llE 0 llEALTll HAZARDS OF ASUES TOS 1 7. con!i 1Jcrs that every el f.:>rt shoulJ lie made to Jevelop safe sub,,;t1tutes for abbe:otos and that, as these SUUSlllUll:o become available, the use of asbestos should be gradually phabed out; where safe subbtllutes already exist, the use of asbestos o;liould be forbidJen; COMMENTS OF THE E. E.C. ADVISOR~ COMMI';:TE:E OF THE A. I .A. 17. it wil I not be poss1ble to prove the safety of replacement pro- ducts in a short tune, a:> very liltle is known about the long- term effects of exposure to such new proJu<.:ls. For asuci;toi;, the cont.equences of exposllre are unden;tood and safe methoJs 1' i I otof wieoprlkamccgrnhcanvt epbroedeuucdtsevaerleopesdti,ll wtohebreeasextpheerieenffceedd_s oTf heexpuo&seure 'i of ;.sbe6l!)s should only be restricted in cases where e:;cape of fibres in a high dust concentration cannot Le prevented. 1 B. urges the Co1nm1ss1011 to spun:;o1 1 ese01rch into the development of :oa fe and practical o;ubbt !lutes for asl>estos, priority being given to substitutes for uSUCEtOs applicat10ns pn::;enlly inv,)lvrng high exposure risk to asbestos fibres; - 18. tllObe appl!cat1ons of asbcstoo;, for which it has been found impractlcalJle to Jevio;e eff1c1e11t control of dust, have already been rc-placed to a Clns1Jcrnble extent by allern!itlVe materials. 19. in\'ites de Comnussion to mclude the siting of asbestos factories nnd \\aste dun1ps awong the projects for which environmental imract assessment could be used; 20. - c;:.lls therefore on the Comrn1ss1on to lay down as soon as [,O SS tble, safety standards in work places where asbestos 1s handled, that are bindrng on all tbe l\lembcr Stales. 19. the location of such sites is already done in most l\lember Slates on the bast:; of their p<1ssible impact on the environ1nent. The industry is in favo11r of Huch measur<:s for new factories of all kinds and for systematic monitorwg of existing plants. j 20. 111 rnost Meruber States regulations already exist. In those !' countries where they do not, we agree tl1at rules for safety should be speedily introduced, having due regard tn technical, econonuca l and social implications. 21. invites the Commission to take steps to ensure that smoking is p1ohibited whever asbestos is handled. 21. the rndustry agrees with the desirability of discouraging cigarette smoking, but is doubtful of the practicability of a prohibition. 22. recommend tl:at tl:e Commission make full use of the work be111g j 22. the industry agrees that any relt>vant information should be ut1l1sed. There are many well established and competent ' done by the European Foundation for the lrnprovement of Living I organisms of which full use should be made. and Working Conditions particularly concerning safety in the ' "orkpla ce; ' 23. instructs HS Pres1dt!nt to forward this resolution and the report of Its committee to the Council and Cornnus:;ion of the Euro1ean Com1nun1t1es, and for 1nfonr1ation, to the Econon11c and Social i Committee. 23. No com1nent. '-" .:z: ~ -..] LJ1 J::- 0 '. - - -- . ....---~ _. ....,. -- - - .if' - 4J\PPEWJIX TO Till!: COMM P.NTS OF TIIE E.E.C. ADVISOHY COMt.l!TTEE OF THE ,\SBESTOS INTEltNAT!ONAL 1\SSOC!J\TION 2. . . ]j Europe, Commission working groups under Directorates Ill and V and the Enylronment and Consumers' Protection Service are studying the pro- 1 blems of asbestos under various headwgs : (l) marketing and use ( 2) health an<l safety in the workplace (3) classification and labelling (~) proposal for a <llrec_tive on toxic and dangerous waste ( 5) public health risks In the UK the Advisory Committee on Asbestos is considcrinto: in great depth and w1th a balanced responsibility the medical and scientific evidence which is available. This Committee gave all interested parties the opportnnity to present evidence and information in support of their viewpoint. Recommendations are expected at any time .Moreover, the medical world along w1th the indu&try have already strted ten yea1s ago drawing conclusions from this evidence: the 1969 UK asbestos regulations were a direct result of conclu&ions from evi<lence ava1luble at that time, and EEC member states have in the meantilne followed. 4. In order to assess corrt:ctly the real size of the pott:ntial risks, it is essential to realise that these risks exist only when respirable dust is created. There is no conclusive ed<lence of risks through contact with the skin or even through ingestion. The health form of exposure compared with commonly ~nown toxic chemical substances : asbestos is ~ a poison. The mere presence of asbestos in a workplace o:- in a product is not a sufficient condition for the existence under the condition of A IR DORNE HESP111AI3LE DUST is there a positive health hazard. hazards arise from of health hazards. a totally different Only when present Hence, the risks can be eliminated by p1cventmg asbe:>tos fibres from becoming airborne. Thl3 Is the case in most asbestos containing finished products in present day use, and particularly in those products, such as asbestos-cement, I where the fibres are substanti!'.lly "locked in". I L of pui:e fibre, manufacturing processes, or processing of asbestos contalnuig When resplrable asbestos fibre is likely to be created (by handling dust extraction equipment can prevent the dust particles from becoming airborne. materials). alternative work methods (wet process for instnnc..e) or ::r:I.._ 5. aItnddouesse nuostusaelleym20to tobe40adyeeqaurastelaygou.ndCconn;tdoitoidon!shhtot ddaiyseiansems oastssfoacc!taollc'ideswoitfh EeExCposmuerembtoer rec,o;pulnrtarbielcs aasrbeesetnotsireflily.irde 1rfieelraetnet tboutcothnediteifofnesctoof fmtahneusefacimtu-re proved conditions will only be apparent with the passage of time. Tlils is due to tl1e long latent penod between the onset of expoi;ure and U1e rnoment the disease appears. ~ It is not questioned that it is indeed ;ilrnost impossible to determine n theoritic:dly "safe" level Lelow whJch NO eifect can be produced in the strict ( 0 hi logic;:il sense. !llany specialists however l.ielieve in tlic possibility to set <i. PIU\CTICi\I. limit, Lelow whicli lite nsk could becorne statistically -..I J :table. (.11 ?w of tl:e dose-re!;ponse rclatlor.:>hip, studies h'lve beea golng on for n1<i.1y y?<l":, i11 m,rny 111ernlie1 :,l3le:, . ............ .nrlustry fully ;ign~es wlth the "necebHlty for further research" tile mollun c<t!ls for. smcc it continues to sponsor researclt such as it has been t:.l,:ng In coll<1bcir"t1un "Ith government a11J utl1t~r lnstllutluns for rn.rny ye.in;. - - ----.-T-T- .._..-- -~ ...................... . ''. , .. , ........ ....... , _.....,..---.-----~-_.,.~.,.- .... ~-~~~---~..-.---- . -.--........--..-.---~- - t . .... :i: 3: 0 -..1 CJ1 .I:. N 111. -- 5 - ~ 7. Tl1e md1scrinu11ale bannlll(! of c1oc1clul1te io, cunoHkred l111Jll5t1f1.;d. The association of lung cancer anJ 111e:sothdwma w1ll1 croc1dolile is related to inadequutdy controlled use in the past, resulting in high dust concen- tration and, consequently high doo,es of exposure, even for persons exposed for relatively short periods. There ls no reliable evidence that concentrat10ns of the kind likely to occur under prese11t day conditions and with p1esent day ui;es will give rise to such ca:,es. As for the assertion that mesotl1d10ma 1~ invariably linkud with exposu1c to asbei,tos (explanatory st<1tement to the motion IV. 11) and especially to crocidohte (explan;1tory statement JV. 13), there ls evidence from author Ila ti ve medical sou1ces that U1is is not true. ll all ep1demiok>gical studies, a proportion va1ywg from 15 to 25% of the cases reviewed, were unrelated to nsucstos expo1;ure, even after U1e most persistent enqu1ries. Very recent data from Turkey would appear to confirm that mesothelioma can occur without any exposure to asbestos, has induced scientists in erroenous mterpretatlon of mesothehoma cases. Failing to recognise this For almost anybody living in developed or developing countries, evidence of some minut"! exposure to asbestos can b;i traced. nwttt!r how small or short it was, has than immed1ateiy been ulnmed as the sol;i re1>po11siule for l11e disease. Such cases were than con:,idered as proof of tlte view that even the slightt:st exposure can cause the disease. This exposure, no lt now seems clear that mesothel10mr. may also be attributed to oth.:r:, hitl1erto unsuspected or unrecognised suustances to which the victims have been exposed in the course of their life. On the other hand, the exumple can be quoted of a Dutch asucstos-cement factory, which i,tarted operating in 1937, and where crocido!ite has now been processed for a long as 40 years, with adequate protective equipment. The National Health lnspectorate recently confirmed that not a srngle case of asbestos cancer nor metholioma hets shown up among the workers of this plant. Similar experience has ueen reported from a factory in the UK. For certain specialised uses, in particular 1n the manufacturi.1g of asbei,tos-cement pipes, crocidolite is an essential raw material for which no replacement is yet in sight. Its use is vital as well for the production process as for the quality of the end product, which is submitted to extremely se\ere operational stresses. In addition, due to the particular nature of this manufacturing proce&s (wet process), it lends itself very well to preventive measures which make it an excellent example of safe use of asbestos. 14. Initbtives for information of : - U1e personnel employed in the manu fa during indu&tcy. - the intermediates who sell. procesi; or install a&bcstos containing good:i, - the puuhc who benefits by the protection or services offored by these goods have been taken by the individual branches of the asbestc.s industry, backed by expert ini,titutions such as, for ini;tancc, the Asbtistosis Research Council. Publications recommending safo method:; of work, and explaining the reasons why precaution<> must be taken, of alrnost every branch of tl11s industry, <ind are currently kept up to date. have been made available for products Diffusion of reliable information en the subject of asbestos is one oi the chief preoccupat10ns of the ASUESTOS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION and of its national branches w1thm till! EEC : - u,e "ASI3EST0S INFOHl\lATION CENTl1E" h~ the UK., - tl1"' "CllAl\llH1E SYtJDICALE Dl'.: L'Al\!IANTE" in France, - the "WIHTSCl!AFTWEHflAt<D ASBEST" and tile "WlllTSC!iAFTSVERMND ASBESTZE~.!ENT" 111 Germany, - the 1'DA tl!Sll ASI3ESTOS HIFOHl\!A TION CHOU P" in Denmark, - the "!HIS!! ASBESTOS COUNCIL" in lrtllanJ - the "COi\IJTE D'INFO!ll.JATION DE L'l\1\11/\NTE" in Benelux. The A.LA. for its part, has pre;.entl) 1n preparation a se11es of "Guides" 011 vai-ious nspecto of the abbestu;; problem, for the preparal1un u! wluch all 1-.nowl<:Jgu availuule at th1,; time ha:i IJ.e,n t;iken into cou:,1deLatiun. ....-,- t , ----- ........ ,-- - ........~ - - - -- ---.--- ....--.....-- - ::'!1 -0- I." The long latent period between exposure to harmful dust and the appearance of the effect (~5 years or more) makes it extremely doubtful whether absolute safety can be claimed for nny new developed fibre designed to replace asbestos, The lack of a sufficiently long observation peri<Jd makes preclict10ns as to the efiect on human health of sub,titutes much more unreliable than the known effects of exposure to respirable asbestos fibre, which have Leen_ studied for several decades. Jt is now believed that the effect on the lungs of respirable asbcsto" ls not due to the chemical composition of this material, but to the physical chnracteristlcs of these dust particles (fibre-shape and dunension&). wluch make them readily inhalable and so cause subsequent damage to the lung tis sue. On this assumption therefore, any fibrous substance containing or giving rise to dust particles of similar shape and size, is likely to produce the same effect as exposure to respirable a&bestos fibre. Tl1e pre,.or>l!on measures for the safe use of these substitutes would than have to be identical to those safe working with asbestos .. As long as no conclusive e,idence is available on the safety of resrnrable fibrous dust other than asbestos, it would seem illogical to substitute a known but controllable hazard for the unknown. Substitute materials have alt eady been developed for a number of a~.uestos containing products, particularly in the field of thermal insulation, although the long term effect of the use of :mcl1 substance& is as yet unkno\'.n, Substitution of a<>bestos in the most remaining products, where there ls no comparable history of Ctsk to health, would be difficult technically and woulJ entail serious econc1mic as well us technical disadvantages. HEV /JB. OG.02.78. L_ :r: $: 0 --1 CJl ,J;;,.. w , .,..- _........... .