Asbestos Product SubstitutesBarry Castleman, ScD

barry.castleman@gmail.com

Asbestos-Cement Sheet and

Pipe

Vehicle Brakes

Water Storage Tanks

Child on Asbestos Wastes in India

Annual World Asbestos Production -- 1900 to 2013

WORLD PRODUCTION OF ASBESTOS

2005

19291937

1961

1966

1973

1975

1982

1989

1997

1951

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

THOUSANDS OF

M ETRIC TONS

Sawing Asbestos-Cement Roofing Sheet

World Health Organization, 2006

• “The most efficient way to eliminate

asbestos-related diseases is to stop the use

of all types of asbestos.”

http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/asbestosrelateddiseases.pdf

Asbestos-Cement (A-C) Sheet

• PVA and Cellulose Fiber-cement

• Polypropylene and Cellulose Fiber-cement

• Bamboo Fiber-cement (Taiheyo Cement)

Other Cellulose fibers: eucalyptus, bagasse, sisal

Cost + 6-15% more than Asbestos-cement,

-- in Brazil, A-C hazardous waste disposal cost offsets this

-- Japan has 1 million tons/year of A-C building waste to dispose of for the first quarter of this century

-- in Thailand, increased cost of non-asbestos roofing is 0.5% of total house building cost (US$65 for a town-house)

Asbestos-Cement Sheet

Substitutes (Cont.)

• Parry “microconcrete tiles” easily used in

rural areas www.parryassociates.com

• Clay roofing tiles

• Galvanized iron roofing (zinc-coated steel)

• Cement reinforced with recycled

toothpaste tubes (Brazil)

• Onduline vegetable fibers and asphalt

www.onduline.com.br

Microconcrete roof tile in tsunami reconstruction

Nam Khem Village, Thailand 2005

Thai Government Health Center – Huay Phu Ling

microconcrete roof tiles made on-site in remote location

Making microconcrete tiles for Tsunami

reconstruction in Takua Pa District 2005

Onduline

Vegetable fibers

and asphalt

Available in Laos

Asbestos-Cement Pipe

• Cast iron and ductile iron pipe

• High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipe

• Prestressed (metal reinforced) concrete pipe

• Non-Pressurized Use (Sewer pipe)

- Clay pipe

- Cellulose fiber-cement (Hardie)

Vehicle Brakes

• Semi-metallic (steel wool sponge

iron, and graphite in phenolic resin)

• Wollastonite, p-aramid, fiberglass,

and phenolic resin and cashew nut

oil resin

Water Storage Tanks

• Fiberglass

• Polyethylene

• PVA, cellulose, and concrete

• Steel

Center for Alternatives to Asbestos Products

• Purpose – Gather and disseminate information on alternatives to

asbestos-based construction materials and other asbestos products

• Content – contact information and brief descriptions of alternative

products and producers (geographic availability, relative cost and

performance compared with asbestos products)

• Center would be a clearinghouse for information only, explicitly not

for the promotion of specific products or manufacturers

• Center for Alternatives could be set up in Vietnam where expertise in

substitute products already exists

Conclusion

World Bank Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines

(2007) and Asbestos Good Practice Note (2009):

Use safer substitute products, avoid asbestos in new

construction and disaster relief

Follow internationally recognized standards in renovation and

demolition of structures where there is asbestos in-place

Don’t build tomorrow’s infrastructure with asbestos!

Stephan Schmidheiny

Warning: this man is considered dangerous and capable of heinous acts.

If sited do not approach but contact proper authorities immediately

He may be disguised as an altruist

WANTED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL

DISASTERS AND MASS MURDER