Asbestos ban announced

2004-06-21 17:19

Cape Town - Legislation banning asbestos products in South Africa will come into effect later this year, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk announced on Monday.

Opening debate on his department's budget vote in the national assembly, he told MPs exception would be made only for certain products where no alternatives were immediately available.

In these cases, a "three to five-year phasing out period" would be granted.

"During 2004, particular attention will be paid by our department to addressing the lethal impact of asbestos on human health.

"Although no asbestos is currently mined in South Africa, and 65 of our major mines have been rehabilitated, much still remains to be done.

"We will therefore be publishing regulations this year to prohibit the use of asbestos," Van Schalkwyk said.

In the past, asbestos has been widely used by South African-based companies to produce a wide range of products, including gaskets, seals, brake linings, roofing sheets, gutters and other building products, waste pipes and flower pots.

According to environmental affairs, the fibre-cement industry in South Africa no longer uses asbestos in its products.

"They've seen the writing on the wall for many, many years," says the department's chief director of regulatory services, Peter Lukey, who earlier on Monday ruled out any "mass demolition" of township houses, built in past decades using asbestos cement products.

"We don't envisage any major or sudden removal of millions of house roofs over the next couple of years."

Speaking to Sapa ahead of the budget vote debate, he said the pending ban would not make criminals of home-owners whose dwellings incorporated asbestos products.

"The ban is on the sale of new products."

However, the department intended to develop a "phase-out plan" for asbestos products currently in use.

"We will have to come up with some sort of implementation plan... over the next month as to exactly how we're going to do this," he said.

Environmental affairs director general Dr Chippy Olver earlier spelled out certain specific products "where it would not be possible to make an immediate ban".

Speaking at a media briefing on Monday morning, ahead of the budget vote debate, he said these included the use of asbestos in "oxyacetylene cylinders... certain gaskets and seals... and brake linings".

Lukey told Sapa the department's major concern lay with secondary pollution from asbestos products.

In this regard, an awareness campaign was necessary to alert the public to the dangers of old asbestos products, and their disposal.

Van Schalkwyk said it was because of old roads, buildings, mines and cheap construction that "especially in our poorest communities... this airborne threat hangs like a cloud over our families".

- SAPA