CYPRUS has one of the highest world counts of mesothelioma cases per capita, according to AKEL MEP Adamos Adamou, who accused the government of endangering the health of Cypriot citizens by stalling in full implementation of EU directives on asbestos.
The Cypriot MEP, who is also an oncologist, first noted the high percentage of mesothelial cells in Cypriots in 1985, when he confirmed that the cancerous cells were present in individuals who lived near Kato Amiantos.
In a statement from his Brussels office, Adamou said that two factors had contributed to the high cancer rates: the presence of asbestos mining and the failure of the government to inform and protect the residents and miners for economic reasons.
Adamou noted that many structures and other objects made of asbestos were still used throughout Cyprus and that it would be a long time before the island could rid itself of the carcinogenic substance, adding that the European Union has a responsibility to inspect member states about the method and comprehensiveness with which they implement the EU Directive on asbestos.
Adamou also criticised the government for acting too slowly to replace asbestos roofs from numerous government buildings and schools as directed by the EU Directive, pointing that only 10 of 110 roofs have been replaced.
Head of Environmental Services Costas Papastavrou angrily dismissed Adamou’s comments: “Some of these MEPs think they can come and spit in our faces. If Mr. Adamou or Mr. so-and-so, whether he’s an MP or MEP, wants things to move faster, then let him come here and see how many of us there are and how much we have to do.
“I state categorically that we are doing whatever we can with the arms we have to wage this war that has been forced upon us”, Papastavrou said. “Specifically, there is a study currently underway for the correct disposal of asbestos debris. We have huge amounts of asbestos debris to deal with. There is no way that a country can push a button and have all these issues solved magically.”
The Green Party has also issued a statement this week expressing its concern over the removal and disposal of asbestos roofs. The Green Party noted that in the first six months of 2005, 70 licences to dismantle asbestos roofs had been given, but 11 other cases had been identified by the Ministry of Works where roofs were torn down unlicensed, and dozens of other cases had been reported to the Green Party.
The Green Party did, however, express its satisfaction that the one case that went to court regarding unlicensed demolition of an asbestos roof resulted in a £2,000 fine handed down by the Limassol District Court.
Green Party Volunteer Marina Martin told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the EU had strict guidelines in the tearing down and disposal of asbestos roofs.
“You can’t knock asbestos roofs down haphazardly without taking the proper measures,” Martin said. “Those who just knock them down without licences are surely not taking protective measures for the surrounding residents or for the workers. And because they often use foreign workers, they don’t feel that they have to protect them.”
Martin noted that Cyprus still did not have the means of disposing asbestos. “They are put in containers for the time being. But if the state doesn’t decide to create some spaces on the island for asbestos disposal then we will have a real problem, because it costs a lot of money to send the material abroad.”
This past June the House Refugee Committee chairman Aristofanis Georgiou said that asbestos roofs were a major problem in refugee estates and that the amount needed to remove the carcinogenic material from the 1,000-plus structures would exceed two million pounds.
