The Health Environment Management Agency (HEMA), under the Ministry ofHealth, held a conference in collaboration with the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) to discuss the prevention of asbestos-relateddiseases on February 25 in Hanoi.

Asbestos is oneof the elements in the inorganic toxic dust workers are exposed to inthe manufacturing process, according to the WHO and the InternationalAgency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

It causes respiratory problems, silicosis disease, pleural thickening and cancer.

WHO policy has encouraged countries to gradually eliminate asbestosand use substitutes. As a result, over 40 countries worldwide have putasbestos on the list of banned substances for use or trade, such asJapan, Sweden and Finland.

Vietnam is one of tencountries in the world using the largest amount of asbestos, with 11,000employees at a high risk of developing asbestos-related diseases.

The prevention of occupational diseases related to asbestos has beendifficult due to its long incubation period, up to 20-30 years, as wellas lack of labour awareness on its harmful effects, and the regulationson labour safety and hygiene in many workplaces.

The ministry has completed a draft on guiding diagnostic criteria andcancers related to asbestos to supplement to the list of occupationaldiseases receiving insurance.

It has continued toimprove the capacity of the health sector on monitoring workingenvironments and managing the health of workers exposed to asbestos, aswell as proposing a ban on the use of dangerous substances in the DraftLaw of Environmental Protection.-VNA