Asbestos Legislation

Labor and environmental groups in the Philippines recently asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to update the Chemical Control Order to completely ban asbestos, reports the Manila Bulletin.

According to the news provider, various groups issued a statement encouraging an immediate review of the order. The groups say that the Chemical Control Order allows asbestos-containing materials to be used in roofing felts and cement.

"We urge our policy makers in Congress and in the Senate to act fast on the pending bills banning asbestos use to proactively safeguard Filipino workers, their families and the general public from debilitating diseases due to exposure to asbestos and asbestos-containing materials," said Rafael Mapalo, director for Education of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines.

The groups are reportedly seeking to ban the manufacture, importation and distribution of the carcinogenic mineral, the news source said.

Exposure to asbestos has been proven to cause a range of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.