
ITUC-AP Follow-up Meeting on Asbestos
4 April 2019
“Realising
an Asbestos-free World”
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring fibrous
minerals with historical commercial usefulness due to their extraordinary
tensile strength, poor heat conduction, and relative resistance to chemical
attack. However, all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic. Exposure to asbestos,
no matter if it is chrysotile or any other form, may cause cancer of the lung,
larynx, and ovaries, and also mesothelioma.
Unfortunately, the production or use of Chrysotile is
prominently increasing in the
Asia-Pacific region, in particular South Asian & ASEAN countries. Many of
our workers continue being exposed to asbestos.
That’s why ITUC-AP organised Regional Conference on Asbestos last
year which decided to take actions to ban the use of Asbestos and endorsed the
joint communique “Realising an Asbestos-free World”.
The follow-up meeting on Asbestos was organised receiving 29 participants
to prepare for the 9th Meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP9)
to the Rotterdam Convention and to reaffirm taking actions to ban the all means
of the use of asbestos and lobby governments to list asbestos as a hazardous
chemical.
During the meeting, participants were sharing updates including
progress and challenges and exchanges ideas to activate our networks and
strengthen the solidarity to promote ban asbestos campaigns nationally,
regionally and internationally. Also, they developed national action plans to
immediately take after the meeting.