Asbestos regulation in emerging economies: what’s up in Georgia?

While asbestos in advanced countries such as France is now phased out and controlled, many places in the world remain asbestos-infected environments.

I realized this recently while in Georgia (the Republic, located North-East of Turkey, not the American State).

The Georgian regulatory framework appears incomplete. Although some legislation has been passed on the production and import-export of hazardous substances and hygiene requirements for working with asbestos and for the industry of building materials, there is no regulation concerning the utilization and safe disposal of asbestos-contained materials and waste.

In any case, the issue remains largely ignored and not taken into account in daily life and business. To the point where:

-a school can typically be built/renovated without the investors/builders caring about the management of asbestos;

-although asbestos production has been banned in Georgia for more than 20 years, over 4000 tons of imported asbestos were consumed in one year in 2010-2011, in particular for the building industry;

-asbestos-containing car brakes with a price of 2 Lari (approx. 1 USD) are typically preferred to asbestos-free brakes with a cost of 20 to 60 Lari;

-etc.

Higher constraint to work through an asbestos-free environment sometimes comes from foreign aid agencies which require compliance with advanced environmental standards in projects they fund.

More restrictive regulation and implementation is highly needed, as well as identification of the sources of asbestos exposure. Perhaps most of all, there would be benefits from a thorough epidemiological studying of asbestos exposure, specifically occupational. Raised awareness on the issue seems urgent, better late than too late.