Though asbestos & its products may have been perceived as a health and environmental hazard, the truth is almost the opposite. Asbestos Cement is very safe and eco-friendly.

THE REAL PROBLEM: Old Poorly Controlled Procedure

In the 1940's workers (without any proper masks) used to spray asbestos in war ships as insulation and fire protection and later stripped the same and after prolonged and excessive exposure, the asbestos related problems manifested themselves from 1960's (after 20 years) in these workers and asbestos earned a bad name.

Thus asbestos was banned in the USA in 1989. But soon after one and a half years, the ban was overthrown by the US Federal Court because the ban was not fair/ justified. However as bad news normally spreads faster, the myth still remains that it is banned in the US!!

WHAT IS ASBESTOS:

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals. It is made up of microscopic bundles of fibres that becomes airborne when disturbed. In its natural state, asbestos occurs throughout the planet, in fact it is found in two thirds of the rocks in the earth's crust the fibres are released by erosion and carried by the wind & water, thus depending on where you live, you are most likely inhaling between 10,000 and 15,000 fibres a day and ingesting many more. Also natural sources of asbestos release more fibres into the air than industrial sources do. Asbestos is a part of the dust, which is covering up the cities for countless centuries. This offers a testimony to the fact that the human body is designed to handle such doses of Asbestos fibres.

Water contains asbestos, anywhere from 200,000 to 2,000,00 fibres per litre. In the regions of Quebec where the world' largest asbestos mines are located, the drinking water contains up to 170 million fibres per litre. However asbestos is harmless in water, as the problem is not from ingesting the fibres, but from inhaling them in excess.

WHEN IS ASBESTOS HARMFUL:

It is a well know fact that anything in excess can tend to become a health hazard. The same holds good for asbestos fibres. Asbestos is a hazard only when it is continuously inhaled in excessive amounts and this continues over a prolonged period (years) .The toxicity is so low that the disease starts manifesting after 15 to 40 years: In the case of asbestos cement products this does not hold good because of the controlled and eco-friendly manufacturing technology. As per the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon : Brake linings and asbestos cement (where the fibres are 'locked in ') are not listed as carcinogenic whereas asbestos filter, textiles & insulation industries are listed, even though asbestos cement industry accounts for more than 88 % of the consumed fibres.

THE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY OF ASBESTOS CEMENT PRODUCTS:

Asbestos Cement Products & their manufacturing technology are amongst the most eco-friendly and safe technologies. The manufacturing technologies are very simple and easily applicable all over India. The asbestos fibre, used in small percentage, is imported normally from the Canadian mines etc. where it is handled with due care and packed in tight cakes wrapped in leak proof bags. These bags are opened under negative air pressure in closed wet process mills, water is added to make slurry, which is mixed with cement slurry, and thereafter the fibre is locked for life. During this whole process the exposure of the fibre to the environment is of few seconds. For e.g.; during the making of the asbestos cement pipes, a one-month process, the fibre is exposed to the environment for a couple of minutes during this period. The fibre remains in a closed and wet circuit during this brief period making it impossible to become airborne and be inhaled beyond the specified limits.