The Official Dispatch No. 1441 signed on August 2, 2019 by Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment stated that based on the studies on characteristics, usage process, development policies and the influence of chrysotile in Vietnam and around the globe, the Committee has sent documents to relevant agencies. However, a number of agencies, organizations and individuals constantly have untrue opinions or even criticize individuals during time. This required the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment to recommend that the National Assembly Chairwoman should request an extensive study to demonstrate whether there is the harmfulness of chrysotile for the human health.

The Chairman of the Committee would like to clarify why most countries including populous countries such as China and India …; countries with high technology like the US, Russia …; countries in ASEAN still use widely chrysotile.

The Committee on Science, Technology and Environment also proposed to direct the propaganda activities of social organizations and media agencies to be objective so that the public can understand the nature of the matter. Also, the Committee considered that the outrageous propaganda will cause public confusion, affect economic and social situation while the country is in need of stability to develop.

What do scientific researches show?

The first studies on the durability of fibers when entering the human body conducted by scientists of Switzerland, Germany and the US showed that the chrysotile fibers of Canada took 14 days to be eliminated while the brown and blue fibers takes up to 466 days. Substitute materials such as ceramic fibers, aramid fibers and cellulose fibers take up to 60 days, 90 days and 1000 days respectively. Thereby, researchers have confirmed that the employees of paper and wood factories may suffer from higher risks of cancer than those of the facilities using chrysotile.

As a country with 130 years of experience in exploiting and using chrysotile, the Russian Federation has carried out many scientific studie. The final results concluded that all asbestos-related cases are caused by long-lasting exposure in the facilities which did not meet the minimum requirements of labor hygiene and safety with dust concentrations of thousands of times higher than the common standards. Studies also confirm that chrysotile does not have negative effects on human health if used in a controlled manner.

In 2014-2016, the Construction Hospital – Ministry of Construction carried out a ministerial-level scientific research named “Studying the effects of chrysotile on health of consumers and workers in AC roof sheet factories”. The hospital conducted an investigation of 2,459 workers in 32 AC roof sheet facilities nationwide and 100 retired workers with the time of exposure to chrysotile of over 30 years. The research indicated that no worker had asbestos dust lesions and malignant asbestos-related injuries such as lung cancer, mesothelioma.

What do people exposed to chrysotile say?

Mr. Nguyen Cong Ly – Chairman of Dong Nai Roof Sheet Construction Materials JSC., shared: “Our workers have exposed with chrysotile for decades but no one suffered from chrysotile-related cancers. However, outrageous propaganda has negatively impacted our company with a reduction of 70% in capacity. There was no enough budget for paying salary because customers were afraid of buying…”

Mr. Le Van Nghia – General Director of Dong Anh Construction, Investment and Building Material JSC., analyzed: “If there was no safe threshold for chrysotile exposure, we would have died long ago because we worked with the material everyday. It is clear that any material is toxic, including sand and gravel. When there are investments in improving production technology, it will certainly reduce the risk of disease.”

Worried about the risk of dismissal, Mr. Nguyen Van Thoai – a worker of Tan Thuan Cuong Trading and Production who has both wife and son working at the factory shared that the income of three family members was nearly 20 million per month. The salary for each person is less than two million now. “I just want to work at the company and get health insurance. After checking the health condition with no phenomenon, we really want to work here.” – Mr. Thoai said.

Mr. Then Quoc Son who is living in Chien Pho commune, Hoang Su Phi district, Ha Giang province shared: “In 2002, my house was supported with AC roof sheets to replace the old tiles. AC roof sheet is so easy to transport that small cars can reach villages. It is also durable. If there is any sheet broken, we just need replace it. I have heard about the harmfulness of AC roof sheet but there is no symtom after a long time of usage.”

Over the past 60 years, AC roof sheet businesses have sponsored the materials for provinces where storms and floods happened, providing the schools in mountainous areas with high-quality AC roof sheets. Chairman of the Vietnam Roofsheet Association – Mr. Vo Quang Diem expressed: “The factories operating in accordance with the law, paying taxes to the government and creating jobs for the society are called “non-human enterprises”. What about the organizations and individuals who do not follow scientific evidences, legal and practical basis, propagate for the ban on chrysotile, cause consumers to boycott AC roof sheet products and drive the industry of AC roof sheet down?”