Cancer war: Duale hits the roof over asbestos roofs

The government has announced comprehensive plans to phase out all asbestos roofs in the country over health concerns.

Environment CS Aden Duale on Tuesday told MPs of an ongoing exercise to ensure zero asbestos. Asbestos, research indicate, is one of the major causes of cancer among Kenyans.

Duale told the National Assembly’s Public Petitions Committee the move is meant to protect Kenyans from health risks associated with asbestos.

The team is chaired by Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai. The CS also linked the roofing material to the surge in cancer cases. Research indicates long exposure to asbestos fibre can cause severe respiratory diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer.

“It is not only a Kenyan problem but a global concern. High incidences of cancer maybe attributed to asbestos,” Duale said.

He said Nema has mapped out all buildings including private homesteads with asbestos roofing and which have been earmarked for removal.

“We have mapped out all facilities across the country and we will have all the roofs removed. Now that it is raining across the country, I am very much worried because there are people who drink water from those roofs,” he said.

Duale was responding to a petition by Wajir North MP Saney Ibrahim who had sought explanation on the steps the government is taking to phase out the roofing materials.

Kenya banned asbestos in 2006. Interestingly, government buildings take the lead in breaching the asbestos ban, according to documents tabled in Parliament. For instance, Nairobi has many buildings owned by government that still have asbestos roof.

National Cereals and Produce Board building at Enterprise Road, Kenya Medical Training College (Mathari and Kibra Campus), Makongeni Primary School, Kenya Pipeline Company-Embakasi, Kenya Railways Corporation headquarters, Kenyatta University main campus and Kenyatta Hospital are some of the facilities with asbestos roofing.

Asbestos is a group of six fibrous minerals occurring naturally in metamorphic deposits worldwide. Committee chairman Nimrod Mbai urged the government to move with speed to save Kenyans by sensitising citizens on the health risks of the roofing material.

“It is a right decision because the research has pointed to the serious health risks of having such roofs,” Mbai said.

In the 1960s and 1970s, asbestos was a material of choice in the construction industry. Several facilities, including food manufacturing industries and homes, used asbestos due to its durability and fire resistance characteristics.

Asbestos fibres are strong and have properties that make them resistant to heat. Many other products contain asbestos.

Most of these materials are used in buildings as roofing, soundproofing, ceilings and tiles; as insulation materials in boilers, steam pipes, water heaters, brake linings, clutch plates and bonnet lining; and in protective gears as fire-resistant blankets, jackets and gloves.