Ship
By: Alain Flores
& Matt Wilson
Breaking…in Bangladesh
Ship breaking is…
The dismantling of vessels for scrap recycling.
How it All Began… In 1965, a cyclone hit the
coastline of Bangladesh, beaching a cargo ship on to the shores.
Business men noticed impoverished locals dismantling the ship and saw a great business opportunity.
Ships were purchased from other countries to be scrapped in Bangladesh making a great profit from recycled steel.
The Benefits?
Contributes to more than 80% of Bangladesh’s steel
Creates job opportunities
“Green Industry”- 97% of ship is recycled, including oil
Costs…Worker Rights Violations
Paid less than minimum wage Less than $1 (US) a day
Use of child labor 10.94% of workforce
NO job security- no work, no pay
NO right to join/form trade union
NO clean drinking water, healthy food, hygienic toilets or living conditions
Costs…Hazardous working
conditions Lack of safety equipment &
knowledge have led to: Serious physical injury/
death Explosions Falling debris Falling off ship Electrical shock
Exposure to hazardous materials
A Comparison in Asbestos Removal
Bangladesh
China
Netherlands
Costs…
Environmental ConsequencesShips not cleansed of
hazardous material Contain POP’s Heavy metals (chromium,
mercury, lead, arsenic) Oil Asbestos
Why it’s still operating
Stabilizes countries economyWithout ship breaking
Nearly 30,000 jobs will be lost
Lose out on majority of steel needs
Hazard Identification
Asbestos-A fibrous material that was used in old ships as a heat insulator
- It has the ability to be woven, is resistant to heat and other chemicals, and is strong
-Besides ships it can be found in ceiling and floor tiles, textiles, coatings, and roofing shingles
Routes of ExposureInhalation – The most important route of
exposure because it does the most damage
Ingestion – A minor pathway of exposure
Skin Contact – Fibers can be lodged in the skin, but not common with protective gear
Health EffectsInhalation can cause Asbestosis, Lung cancer, and
Mesothelioma
Classified as an A1 Confirmed Human Carcinogen
Almost all cases of Mesothelioma are linked to asbestos exposure
In general, the greater the exposure to asbestos, the greater the chance of developing adverse health effects
Exposure Population
Shipyard workers in Bangladesh
Males (Health Effects would be the same in females)
All ages (children work in these shipyards)
> 15,000 pounds of asbestos in every ship
Precautionary Assessment
Parameter Score
Goal 3
Need 2
Future Generations 3
Democratic Community Based Process
3
Alternatives 3
Total 14/15
Community/Social Issues
Very Unsupportive of Health and Community
Precautionary Assessment
Parameter Score
Exposure 3
Multiple Exposures 3
Children Exposed 5
Consumer Products 2
Occupational Exposure 3
Food Exposure 2
Total 18/20
Significant Exposure and High Concern
Exposure Issues
Precautionary Assessment
Parameters Score
Hazard 10
Individual Sensitivity 3
Ecological Hazard 3
Volume 5
Persistent 2
Bioaccumulate 3
Uncertainty 3
Total 29/30
Hazard/Toxicity
Significant Hazards and Serious Concern
Standards and RegulationsAgency Level Comments
American Conference of Government al Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)
0.1 fiber/cc
For all forms of asbestos
TLV-TWA
Not enough data for STEL
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH)
0.1 fiber/cc
For fibers > 5 micrometers
REL, Based on an 8 to 10 hour work day
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
0.1 fiber/cc
For fibers > 5 micrometers
PEL, Based on an 8 to 10 hour work day
Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)
0.000004 fibers/cc Cancer Risk level (1 in a million excess lifetime risk)
How we ended up on 0.1 fibers/ccAsbestos known to cause problems since 1907, but
this wasn’t firmly established by several studies until 1955
Different types of asbestosCrocidolite known to be the most dangerous to
human health, usually causes mesothelioma
1968 proposed standard of 4 fibers/ccStudy done by Lane et al. from a population
of asbestos textile workers in England
Felt that this standard was safe because this amount of exposure caused asbestosis in <1% of the workers
Caused conversion from mppcf (dust) to fibers/cc
Gillam et al. disputed 4 fibers/ccStudy of 440 hard rock gold miners who were
exposed to asbestiform material
Findings : 10 respiratory deaths (2.74), 5 non-malignant respiratory deaths (1.85)
Ambient air contained a total average of 4.82 fibers/cc, of which fibers >5 um averaged 0.36 fibers/cc
1978 McDonald et al. StudyFollowed up the Gillam et al. study, but
investigated 1321 men with 21 years work experience
By the end of the study 657 had died : Pneumoconiosis 39 (0), Respiratory tuberculosis 39 (3.6), Heart disease 264 (232.5), Respiratory cancer 17 (16.5), Abdominal cancer 39 (35.1)
Was this a result of asbestos exposure of from the mining work?
1977 Peto et al. Study on Lane et al.Evidence that 4 fibers/cc was not safe
Study done 10 years after Lane et al. study on same workers
Findings: 31 lung cancer deaths (19.3), non-malignant respiratory disease caused 35 (25), 5 pleural mesothelioma deaths
Development of cancer can have a 15 or more year delay after initial exposure, so Lane et al. study was probably done too early to account for this
Uncertainty Factors
Factor Value
Absence of NOAEL 10
Children 10
-Only looked at human studies-Most likely no human variability (1995 research paper makes this claim)-No NOAEL available because no evidence for a threshold or “safe” exposure level has been obtained-Start with the 4 fibers/cc standard proposed by Lane et al.
Uncertainty: 10 x 10 = 100
RfC (fibers/cc) = Proposed value (fibers/cc) / Uncertainty
Lane et al. proposed value = 4 fibers/cc
RfC: (4 fibers/cc) / 100 = 0.04 fiber/cc
In comparison to 0.1 fiber/cc for the agencies
ConclusionsOur value of 0.04 fiber/cc is not far off from
the current values of 0.1 fiber/cc
We are satisfied with the current standards
0.1 fiber/cc should provide a significant margin of safety in terms of asbestosis prevention, which with previous research shows that prevention of asbestosis should also minimize the risk of lung cancer
Risk ManagementMonitor the asbestos fibers in the ambient air
More studies on the human variability and individual susceptibility
This would change the uncertainty factor
Risk CommunicationEducate workers about exposure to Asbestos
Inform the owners of the dangers of their workers handling this material without proper safety equipment
Start a program in Bangladesh to monitor the amount of asbestos exposure that the workers are being exposed to
Media Coverage