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Following is a question by the Hon Li Fung-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, in the Legislative Council today (October 29):
Question:
It is learnt that chrysotile, a type of asbestos, and materials containing chrysotile are still permitted to be imported into and re-exported from Hong Kong. Also, from time to time, building materials containing asbestos are found to have been used in old buildings as well. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
(a) it knows the details (including the types, quantities, uses and sales channels) of the import into and re-export from Hong Kong of chrysotile and materials containing chrysotile in the past three years;
(b) it knows the approximate number of workers who had had contact with materials containing asbestos while at work in Hong Kong in the past three years, and whether the authorities have formulated measures to ensure that the employers and employees concerned comply with the Code of Practice: Safety and Health at Work with Asbestos in order to safeguard the health of such employees; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(c) it knows the respective numbers of buildings aged 20 to 29, 30 to 39 and 40 years or above in which building materials containing asbestos may have been used, as well as the number of residents in such buildings; and
(d) the Government has taken other promotional and educational initiatives, apart from providing relevant information on government web sites, for residents in old buildings to understand how to deal with building materials containing asbestos in their premises; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Air Pollution Control Ordinance (the Ordinance) stipulates in detail the controls on asbestos works and the use of asbestos containing materials to protect public health. The controls came into effect in 1996. The asbestos containing materials currently used in Hong Kong are mostly the less hazardous chrysotile.
My reply to the question raised by the Hon Li Fung-ying is as follows:
(a) At present, the use of asbestos containing materials in the construction and other industries has been largely replaced by asbestos-free products. The quantity of imported asbestos containing materials has substantially decreased as compared with the time before the Ordinance became effective. Currently, uses of chrysotile mainly include asbestos friction products, gaskets, fabricated asbestos fibres and corrugated cement sheets in small quantities. The record on import and export of chrysotile for the past three years is tabulated below:
Year 2005 2006 2007
Import of chrysotile and
chrysotile containing 165 101 47
materials (tonne)
Export of chrysotile and
chrysotile containing 101 14 8
materials (tonne)
(b) At present, workers who come into contact with asbestos materials are mainly those involved in demolition of old buildings. According to our records, there are currently 10 registered asbestos contractors and 13 licensed asbestos waste collectors, employing about 170 and 70 workers respectively.
To protect the health of the public and employees concerned, all parties engaged in the businesses of asbestos works and collection of asbestos waste are required to register with or obtain a licence from the Environment Protection Department (EPD) to ensure that they have suitable equipment, training, experience and competence to comply with relevant regulatory requirements and operate in accordance with the following codes of practice:
- the Code of Practice on Asbestos Control prepared by the EPD;
- the Code of Practice: Safety and Health at Work with Asbestos compiled by the Labour Department.
For control on asbestos works, the Ordinance stipulates that property or premises owners are required to employ a registered asbestos consultant to conduct an investigation and submit an asbestos abatement plan, and to employ a registered asbestos contractor to carry out the works. The EPD inspects sites of asbestos works from time to time and follows up on complaints to ensure that all asbestos works are carried out in accordance with the regulatory requirements of the Ordinance. In case that non-compliance is found during an inspection, the EPD will conduct further investigation and initiate prosecution as appropriate to achieve a deterrent effect.
(c) The general distribution of private buildings in the territory is as follows:
Age of buildings Number of buildings
20 to 29 years 3,600
30 to 39 years 3,200
above 40 years 8,800
Total (above 20 years) 15,600
Note: The above figures include about 900 pre-war buildings but exclude New Territories exempted houses.
The number of residents in these buildings and the exact number of buildings containing asbestos are not available. Before the 1980s, the use of asbestos containing materials in buildings was very common. Chrysotile corrugated cement sheets were used in many unauthorised canopies and rooftop structures in old buildings for heat insulation purpose. Based on past demolition records, we estimate that among those over 20 years old buildings classified by the Buildings Department as target buildings requiring demolition of unauthorised structures, about 60% of them may contain asbestos. Nevertheless, undisturbed asbestos corrugated cement sheets in old buildings, if in good condition, will not release asbestos fibres under normal circumstances and therefore will not pose a risk to public health.
(d) The EPD has published a concise pamphlet on the regulatory requirements of the Ordinance. The information in the pamphlet has been uploaded to the EPD website to facilitate access by the public.
Since 2001, the Buildings Department has embarked on large-scale demolition action against unauthorised structures, and has referred all target buildings to the EPD for follow-up action to ascertain any presence of asbestos. In this connection, the EPD has prepared posters to publicise the regulatory requirements of the Ordinance and post them conspicuously in target buildings to educate the residents. For every inspected unauthorised structure that is suspected to contain asbestos, the EPD will notify the property or premises owners in writing and require the persons concerned to remove the unauthorised structure containing asbestos in accordance with the regulatory requirements of the Ordinance. Over the past three years, the EPD has issued about 14,000 written notices together with copies of the concise pamphlet to help property or premises owners understand whether the unauthorised structures to be removed contained asbestos, the necessary measures to be taken and the proper ways to dispose of asbestos waste. The public may also call the EPD hotline to enquire about the requirements on asbestos controls. Moreover, EPD staff will attend meetings arranged by ownersˇ¦ corporations or building management offices of buildings affected by demolition orders to explain to the residents the regulatory requirements of the Ordinance and to enhance public awareness of asbestos controls.
Ends/Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:12
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