Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Wednesday ordered the removal of asbestos roofs from all buildings in the country within three months.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The CS cited health risks and warned of potential prosecutions for non-compliance.
Duale directed the National Environment Management Authority to write to the institutions to dispose of the hazardous fibrous minerals.
Asbestos fibres may cause serious lung diseases, including asbestosis and cancer. Smoking also increases the risk of developing illness from asbestos exposure.
Disease symptoms may take several years to develop following exposure.
Currently, the people most heavily exposed to asbestos are those in the construction sector and most occupational exposures occur during the repair, renovation, removal or maintenance of asbestos.
“We have written to the ministries of Defence, Internal Security, Education and Health to undertake an audit of all the facilities that have asbestos roofing,” Nema Director General Mamo Mamo said.
Asbestos is a group of six fibrous minerals occurring naturally in metamorphic deposits worldwide.
In the 1960s and 1970s, asbestos was a material of choice in the construction industry.
Several facilities including food manufacturing industries and residential homes used asbestos roofing material due to its durability and fire resistance characteristics.
Asbestos fibres are strong and have properties that make them resistant to heat. Many other products contain asbestos.
Most of these materials are used in buildings as roofing, soundproofing, ceilings and tiles; as insulation materials in boilers, steam pipes, water heaters, brake linings, clutch plates, and bonnet lining; and in protective gears as fire-resistant blankets, jackets and gloves.
Canada, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Russia, India, South Africa and Zimbabwe are major producers. Asbestos used to be mined in Kenya but was stopped…CONTINUE READING>>
