Asbestos-containing products need warning labels: experts
(VOVWORLD) - Asbestos-containing products in Vietnam require warning labels, experts said at a conference in Hanoi on Tuesday.
 The workshop on labeling asbestos-containing products takes place in Hanoi on December 15, 2020. (Photo: baotintuc.vn) |
Vietnam is in the top ten countries for use of white (chrysotile) asbestos. Vietnam uses approximately 70,000 tons a year.
Bui Thi An of the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Community Development (IRECO), says the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labor Organization (ILO), and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) all agree that asbestos causes asbestosis and lung, larynx, and mesothelioma cancer. Avoiding asbestos in any form is the best way to prevent these diseases, An said.
"The government always gives priority to people’s health, social security, and sustainable development. The government will not trade people’s health for economic benefits, as evidenced by its listing white asbestos in Annex 3 at the 8th UN climate change conference, a big leap in the fight against asbestos. The money Vietnam spends on treating asbestos-related diseases is three times the profit we earn from using asbestos,” she noted.