Environmentalists Urge Turkey to Ban Ship Dismantling Due to Asbestos:

An environmentalist group urged Turkish govt to ban ship dismantling operations in Izmir, Aliaga due to asbestos exposure.

Erdem Vardar, Chairperson of the Yuva Society, noted in a statement that aside from the prohibition of asbestos use in the country, the federal government should also prohibit the ship dismantling, saying that such activity posed significant health pitfalls in the surrounding area, as well as the bodies of h2o where the ships were currently located.

The organization also addressed the recommendation to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security to take some responsibility. Vardar mentioned that the old ships, which contain asbestos, are not coming to Turkey under the title of asbestos importing but as old ships for dismantling. He pointed out that it contradicts the international Basel Convention signed in 1989, which was designed to restrict the operations of hazardous waste between nations.

Previous reports stated that the Turkish government already banned the use of asbestos in accordance with the ruling of the European Union. The Ministry of Environment and Forest issued a decree stating that the use of asbestos is now strictly prohibited, which ends the disagreement between the nation and the EU. Also included in the decree is the prohibition of the production and sales of asbestos in the country.

Reports said that asbestos-related cancers in Turkey were 700 times greater than the global average. According to the parliamentary report, because asbestos can resist heat up to 2,500 degrees Celsius, the material naturally multiplies in many fields around the world. Studies showed that asbestos is dangerous to health, which led to the prohibition in several countries around the world.

Source: Article Dashboard. By Alphonso Freidkin. January 27, 2011

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