아래 내용은 The Business Standard 8월 23일자 기사입니다.
지난 십여년간 선박해체일을 하였던 60세 인부는 호흡기 질환을 앓고 있는데, 선박에서 사용된 발암물질 등에 노출되었기 때문이다. 일 하는 동안 마스크 같은 최소한의 보호 장구도 없었고, 석면이 폐를 병들게 할지는 몰랐다, 고 증언하였다.
선박해체장의 많은 노동자들이 석면폐증이라는 낮선 석면질환의 희생자가 되고 있다. 초기 노출 후 수십년이 지나면 발병한다.
비정부기관인 Oishi Foundation에 따르면 지난 십여년간 석면해체장 종사자 중 33명이 석면질환자로 알려졌다. 110명의 종사자들을 ILO 프로토콜에 따라 조사했다.
(인도 언론사의 기사이며 세계1위 선박해체국인 방글라데시의 내용입니다)
---------------------------------------------------
Mohammad Nurul Abser, 60, who worked in the ship-breaking yards at the coast in Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram for 35 years, has been suffering from severe breathing problems for the last ten years due to exposure – a carcinogenic substance used in ships.
As Nurul Abser put it, "I have to take medicine worth around Tk5,000 every month. For the last few years I have not been able to work. I have to depend on the earnings of my sons, who also live hand to mouth.
"When I used to work in the ship-breaking yards there were hardly any safety measures. No one used masks in those yards. I do not know when asbestos got into my lungs and poisoned me."
Many workers of the ship-breaking industry become victims of asbestos unknowingly, as the symptoms of asbestosis – a chronic lung disease – usually do not appear until many years after the initial exposure, according to doctors and industry insiders.
A study by the non-government organisation Oishi Foundation has found 33 such victims who worked in the ship-breaking yards for over 10 years.
Oishi Foundation Executive Director Ripon Chowdhury told The Business Standard, "We conducted the study on 110 ship-breaking workers by following the International Labour Organisation protocol under supervision of a registered physician, who found and certified 33 of them as victims of asbestos poisoning in 2017.
"All the 33 workers suffered 30% to 60% lung damage and had severe breathing problems along with other symptoms. Of the certified victims, three have already died while the others are living miserable lives."
According to a report of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, ship-breaking workers raised concerns regarding asbestos first in 2019. Primarily, 33 workers were identified as victims of asbestos poisoning. After a series of tests under the supervision of Dr Kazi Saifuddin Bennor, assistant professor of National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital, 25 of those workers were diagnosed with asbestos in their lungs.
The 25 workers were later provided with treatment on the advice of Dr Rajat Shankar Roy Biswas, a medicine specialist of Chittagong Maa O Shishu Hospital.
"As a result of suffering from asbestosis for a long time, the workers start losing their working capacity and keep suffering from many other symptoms, like chest pain, high blood pressure, and back pain. Long term asbestosis can also result in lung cancer and mesothelioma, which is almost irreversible", said Dr Rajat Shankar Roy Biswas.
"There is no way to remove the asbestos particles from the lungs once it is inhaled and the treatment of the diseases caused by it is very expensive, which the poor workers cannot afford. So protective measures to prevent workers from inhaling asbestos in the ship-breaking yards is a better solution," Dr Rajat suggested.
Ship-breaking industry expert Mohammad Ali Shahin said there is an international guideline to remove asbestos from the ships. "Asbestos poisoning can be curbed by dismantling ships in green and environment-friendly shipyards that follow the guideline," he said.
"We have already trained 500 workers in the industry in handling asbestos safely", he added.
(이하 생략)
위 내용의 원문은 아래 링크를 클릭하세요.
Ship-breaking workers suffer lifelong illness due to asbestos exposure
