Asbestos in Lithuania: present and future strategies
Introduction
Several types of mineral fibres are called asbestos: actinolite, amosite, amphibole, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite and tremolite. The annual world production of asbestos minerals is over 4 billion tonnes, 99% of which is chrysotile.
The International Cancer Research Centre (IARC), Lyons, France since 1969 years started the formation of list on human carcinogenic factors. The group of international experts, according to all available data: cancer epidemiology, clinical studies, research on experimental animals and other, placed asbestos on this list since 1976 year. According to IARC classification, asbestos attributes to the I group of risk factors which carcinogenic effect was demonstrated sufficiently.
Asbestos has excellent technical features, low price and is universal in use but the overall price for mankind of airborne asbestos fibres – approx. 60 000 of asbestos caused cancer cases annually is too high. World-wide asbestos ban policy is making her first steps in the country of Lithuania.
Inheritance of yesterday
Asbestos – related of the occupant totalitarian Soviet regime to our country consisted of a lot of asbestos and a lot of problems: no legislation, no specialists, no occupational diseases registry, no monitoring facilities, equipment and quality management, no good occupational and abatement practice, no waste disposal, no public awareness, the unknown amount of exposed people and no registered cases of deaths caused by asbestos.
Asbestos in Lithuania was widely used, mainly in asbestoscement industry. The annual import of asbestos in Lithuania was approx. 4000 tonnes (0.1 % of world production).
The data of asbestos impact on health in Lithuania are missing. One may assume asbestos being one of reasons of 25 800 lung cancer cases registered in Lithuania for male patients during years 1965 – 1994.
Strategies of today
During the last decade the approximation to EU was started with creating the national legislation on asbestos management. Now it consists of: the Government’s Decision on restriction and ban of asbestos issued in 1998, amended in 2000 with Preventive Programme on restriction on use and prevention of environment contamination, Rules on Work with Asbestos which came in force in 1999 and Rules on prevention and reduction of environment contamination with asbestos - in 2000.
The outdated Lithuanian Hygiene Norm HN23-1993 Hazardous Substances; Maximum Allowable Concentrations in the Air of Work Area is still in power and the amount of airborne asbestos at workplaces until now is being regulated in the form of asbestos containing total dust, mg/ m3 and not in number concentration of respirable fibres. The final draft of corresponding new replacing Hygiene Norm HN 23-2001 [1] is being prepared according to EU Directives and the corresponding OELs for asbestos fibres are included as well for several Man – made Mineral Fibres [MMMFs].
With the help of Nordic Countries, United Kingdom and Poland a number of researchers and labour inspectors were educated and trained in the asbestos management.
The major part of equipment for counting of airborne asbestos fibres has been purchased from the State funds and is functioning.
The analytical method issued by WHO in 1998 "Determination of airborne fibers number concentrations. Recommended method – phase contrast optical microscopy (membrane filter method)" was translated into Lithuanian (unpublished).
Results
The exact number of workers coming into contact with asbestos is still unknown. The attempt of assessment of such number was made during the CAREX project and was found being approx. 7500 (see Table 1).
During the year after coming in force of Rules on Work with Asbestos only 5 industrial plants and 1 public institution fulfilled requirements of the Rules for obligatory investigation of asbestos containing workplaces with total number of asbestos exposed workers approx. 50. Fibre number concentrations (0.01-0.49 fibres/ml) were found in industrial workplaces and 0.01-0,04 fibres /ml in the public buildings (see Table 2).
The pilot investigations of airborne asbestos concentrations are presented for the outdoor air of Vilnius Old Town where heavy traffic and extensive reconstruction of old buildings are the potential asbestos pollution sources. Fibre number concentrations of 0.017 fibres/ml were found.
Since 1991 one case of occupational mesotelioma was registered in the country.
The following projects on the improvement of asbestos management are running on now:
Co-ordination and integration of external environment, health and vocational training in the Baltic countries (2000 – 2002) according to Baltic Agenda 21.
The project is granted by Danish Government and led by Danish Ministry of Labour. It includes publication of necessary informative materials on asbestos in Lithuanian, teaching of teachers, of labour inspectors and safety specialists.
Project PHARE-TWINNING (LI 9911.01) Strengthening Enforcement of Occupational Safety and Health Policy, 2000 – 2001 year.
Although the main emphasis of this project is training of specialists and creating of OSH registries, their support with hardware and software, the end-task should be making the registries acting by filling them with relevant data. In connection with this precondition the attempt is being made in purchasing also certain equipment for filling some missing links of crucial importance in existing analytical chains for obtaining the necessary OSH data at workplaces, with special emphasis on carcinogens, incl. asbestos, lead, benzene, etc.
International Information System on Occupational Exposure to carcinogens CAREX. Occupational exposure to carcinogens in Lithuania in 1997: Preliminary results Carex/ Draft/ June 22. 2000 (www.occuphealth.fi/list/data/CAREX).
Evaluation and assessment of occupational risk related to carcinogens: benzene, lead and asbestos in year 2001. Project is granted by Lithuanian Ministry of Health and being performed by specialists of Occupational Medicine Centre, Institute of Hygiene.
Strategies for tomorrow
In the near future the final steps of ban for asbestos import are coming into force in Lithuania:
January 1, 2002 – ban for friable asbestos products and linings for brakes and clutches;
January 1, 2002 - ban for raw asbestos and asbestoscement products.
It will be the good background for indoor as well as outdoor air being more and more free from airborne asbestos fibres.
The systematic investigation of residual occupational exposure to airborne asbestos fibres also the possible health consequences are planned to be investigated in the project (under preparation) "Asbestos, risk of asbestos – induced diseases and prophylactic measures in Lithuania" for year 2002 – 2005. Asbestos exposure and pulmonary fibre concentrations determined will enable us to make predictions on possible level of morbidity and necessary preventive measures.
Conclusions
The existing system of asbestos risk management in Lithuania was evaluated according to the systematic approach developed in the British Standard BS 8800 : 1996 and has been found being ineffective. The low level of professional and public knowledge and information concerning asbestos management, absence of interministerial body on co-operation and co-ordination of asbestos-related activities, the weak technical and financial possibilities and the absence of good abatement practice and training might be assumed being the main reasons of asbestos risk management ineffectiveness.
Despite the airborne asbestos concentrations at the building and premises investigated at present fall far below the occupational exposure limit values, there remains the danger of significant fibre number concentrations bursts when the asbestos abatement works will be started, keeping in mind low level of preparedness for such activities in the country.
The dark side of increasing attention to asbestos in Lithuania is the underestimation by the responsible authorities, industrialists and the common public of danger caused by the respirable artificial MMM fibres and silica dust.
The most effective way for solving the present problems in the asbestos management field might be the extensive international co-operation with the countries experienced in asbestos abatement, research and quality management, public and specialists education.
References
[1] Lithuanian Hygiene Norm HN23-2001. Hazardous Chemical Substances and Limit Values of their Concentrations in the Working Environment Atmospheres. (Final draft).
[2] British Standard BS 8800 : 1996 Guide to occupational health and safety management systems.
Viktoras Šeškauskas, MSc
Visiting address: Occupational Medicine Centre, Institute of Hygiene,
Etmonu g. 3 LT-2001 Vilnius Lietuva (Lithuania)
Post address: Belmonto g. 18-1 LT-2007 Vilnius Lietuva (Lithuania)
Office: ph.: (370 2) 223249,
fax.: (370 2) 221810
Home: ph.: (370 2) 600255, mob. +370 82 45773,
E-mail: istras@takas.lt
_______________________
Table 1. OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO CARCINOGENS IN LITHUANIA IN 1997: Preliminary results (special selection about asbestos –V.Š.)
05 Jun 00. Appendix 2. Carex: Industry Specific Estimates – Summary
|
Agent: ASB Asbestos |
Type of Estimate |
Estimate |
|
|
29 |
Other Mining |
FIN |
849 |
|
341 |
Manufacture of paper and paper products |
AVERAGE |
21 |
|
351 |
Manufacture of industrial chemicals |
FIN |
35 |
|
352 |
Manufacture of other chemical products |
AVERAGE |
32 |
|
353 |
Petroleum refineries |
FIN |
133 |
|
369 |
Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products |
OWN |
372 |
|
384 |
Manufacture of transport equipment |
FIN |
37 |
|
41 |
Electricity, gas and steam |
|
73 |
|
5 |
Construction |
AVERAGE |
3120 |
|
6 |
Wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels |
FIN |
229 |
|
711 |
Land transport |
AVERAGE |
198 |
|
92 |
Sanitary and similar services |
FIN |
36 |
|
95 |
Personal and household services |
FIN |
2316 |
Appendix 3. Carex: Exposures by agent
|
Agent |
Estimate |
|
|
ASB |
Asbestos |
7451 |
Table 2. RESULTS OF ASBESTOS INVESTIGATIONS IN LITHUANIA
September 1999 – March 2001
|
No in Registry. 2000/03/+ |
Code of enterprise/ institution |
8 h Shift – average conc. Csa (fibres/ml) |
Equivalent conc. Ceq (fibres/ml) |
OELV applicable (fibres/ml) |
|
|
INDOOR |
|||||
|
004 |
Enterprise KT |
0.010 |
|
0.3 a) |
|
|
005 |
Enterprise KT |
0.007 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
006 |
Enterprise KT |
0.003 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
012 |
Enterprise EK |
0.060 |
|
0.6 b) |
|
|
013 |
Enterprise EK |
0.018 |
|
0.6 |
|
|
014 |
Enterprise EK |
0.060 |
|
0.6 |
|
|
015 |
Enterprise EK |
0.030 |
|
0.6 |
|
|
016 |
Enterprise EK |
0.023 |
|
0.6 |
|
|
017 |
Enterprise EK |
0.008 |
|
0.6 |
|
|
020 |
Enterprise EK |
0.008 |
|
0.6 |
|
|
034 |
Enterprise EK |
0.490 |
|
0.6 |
|
|
022 |
Enterprise MN |
0.058 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
023 |
Enterprise MN |
0.013 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
025 |
Public building OT |
0.015 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
026 |
Public building OT |
0.015 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
027 |
Public building OT |
0.044 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
028 |
Public building OT |
0.043 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
029 |
Public building LA |
0.013 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
031 |
Enterprise AT |
0.230 |
0.140 |
0.3 |
|
|
032 |
Enterprise AT |
0.200 |
0.180 |
0.3 |
|
|
036 |
Enterprise VT |
0.035 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
OUTDOOR |
|||||
|
030 |
Vilnius Old Town |
0.017 |
|
- |
|
Remarks:
a) OELV for asbestos other than chrysotile and mixtures.
b) OELV for chrysotile
June 8, 2001
