19 June 2016
PacWaste Survey Identifies Support for Asbestos Ban
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The Pacific Hazardous Waste Management (PacWaste) project coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) released the results of a survey showing that young Pacific islanders report having little or no knowledge about asbestos and its associated health risks.

The survey also reveals broad support for a regional ban on imports of materials containing asbestos.

SPREP15 June 2016: The Pacific Hazardous Waste Management (PacWaste) project coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) released the results of a survey showing that young Pacific islanders report having little or no knowledge about asbestos and its associated health risks. The survey also reveals broad support for a regional ban on imports of materials containing asbestos.

PacWaste conducted the three-month online survey to develop a baseline of regional awareness about asbestos, ahead of a regional education and awareness campaign to be launched later in 2016. The survey shows that 54% of participants have moderate awareness of asbestos hazards, 30% have low to no awareness, and 16% have high awareness. Among respondents under 30 years of age, however, the low-to-none result is 62% while none indicated high awareness. As a result of this finding, the education and awareness campaign will particularly address youth and young adults.

The survey also shows that 81% know that asbestos can be found in building materials, and support a regional ban on asbestos-containing materials. Stewart Williams, PacWaste, said that over the next 12 months PacWaste will work at 73 separate sites across 11 Pacific island countries to remove asbestos from the highest risk locations. The asbestos removal campaign will be accompanied by an awareness raising campaign regarding asbestos risks and how best to minimize exposure. He recalled that PacWaste’s recent report on the state of asbestos in the Pacific found 187,891 square meters of confirmed non-residential asbestos in the region, 78% of it classified as posing moderate or high risk to human health.

PacWaste is a €7.85 million, four-year project funded by the EU and implemented by SPREP, aimed at improving hazardous waste management, with a focus on asbestos wastes, e-waste and healthcare wastes. PacWaste also funds a best-practice demonstration project on atoll waste management on the Marshall Islands atoll of Majuro. [SPREP Press Release] [PacWaste Website] [IISD RS Story on Asbestos Risks Report] [IISD RS Story on 2015 Asbestos Survey]

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