People's Journal Editorial: Asbestos-free science lab

[ALU Associated Labor Unions]

Safe science labs
People’s Journal Editorial
Friday, January 6, 2012
http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/news/editorial/21028-safe-science-labs

Educated but internally impaired.

What good would our graduates be if they finish basic and secondary
education but leave school with a damaged pulmonary system and other
organ disorders from exposure to harmful substances?

Toxins found in classrooms adn science laboratories are decidedly a
public health and safety issue.

But thanks to a strong advocacy campaign of a large labor federation,
the threat of exposure of students to a dangerous materials found in
school buildings is now being aggressively addressed by authorities.

The Associated Labor Unions’ ban-asbestos campaign virtually saved
millions of students, teachers, non-teaching personnel, and
communities from primary and secondary exposure from asbestos dust
following the recent decision of private colleges and state
universities to ban the toxic wire gauzes from their campuses
nationwide.

It maybe recalled that in November last year, the Department of
Education issued an order to all regional, provincial, city and
municipal district superintendents to recall asbestos-containing wire
gauzes from all elementary and high school laboratories.

The Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities president
Peter Laurel recently said PACU will review the wire gauzes used in
their schools. And if these contain asbestos, they will ban its use
and replace them with non-asbestos wire gauze.

This was followed by the Commission on Higher Education which said
that these asbestos-laden wire gauzes should be recalled and disposed
of to avoid further exposure of students, faculty, and the entire
academic communities.

“In support of your campaign against the total ban and phase-out of
asbestos in the country considering the hazards it brings to our
health with constant exposure with the said chemical, we have already
sent a memorandum to all our regional offices so they can direct all
HEIs (schools) in their respective jurisdictions to dispose all
asbestos-containing materials used in chemistry and biology
laboratories,” said Atty. Julito Vitriolo, CHED executive director, in
his letter received by the campaign last week.

In a text message, Laurel, on the other hand, said: “We are behind you
in the anti-asbestos campaign.”

These responses came after the ALU’ Ban Asbestos Philippines advocacy
campaign met and gave CHED and PACU letters urging their officials to
ban the toxic wire gauzes.

PACU has 180 private schools and colleges under its umbrella while
CHED supervises more than 2,180 state and local universities, colleges
including state university satellites all over the country.

“We are grateful that PACU and CHED positively answered our call and
moves toward ban and recall of all asbestos-containing wire gauzes
from their campuses. This is a huge victory for the campaign,” said
Gerard Seno, ALU national vice president and Ban Asbestos Philippines
program coordinator.

Three percent of the deadly Chrysotile asbestos was found in a wire
gauze the ALU took from a school four months ago.

In analyses and tests conducted by a private laboratory, it was found
out that it contains the deadly Chrysotile asbestos that causes
various and incurable asbestos-related diseases and cancers such as
asbestosis, pleural plaques thickening and effusions, and mesothelioma
which destroys the linings that coat internal organs.

Once inhaled or ingested, asbestos dusts are lodged in the lungs,
larynx and other internal organs developing into cancer and other
diseases 10 to 30 years later.