Following the information that the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change allowed a ship containing hundreds of tons of asbestos to come from Brazil to Aliağa, the issue became the agenda on social media and drew the reaction of various platforms.
The ship Nae Sao Paulo, which is said to be about to set off from Rio De Janeiro, weighs more than 600 tons. asbestos, a carcinogenic mineral and tons of other dangerous goods. It was also emphasized that dismantling the ship in Turkey could cause great dangers.
We are the President of the Association of Asbestos Removal Specialists (ASUD) and the Occupational Health and Safety Federation (İSAF). By Mehmet Şeyhmus Ensari We got your opinions on the subject.
Let’s start with the basics, what is asbestos?
asbestos mineral
“Asbestos is a mineral that is resistant to heat, abrasion and chemicals. It is found in nature, it is also found in the soil of many of our villages in Anatolia. Because of these features, before their damages are detected, ‘Miracle mineral’ was called. In this industry, it was used in textile, ship industry and automotive at the end of the 1800s. A non-combustible, moisture-proof, insulating material on board. In other words, it is a very suitable material to be used on ships.”
‘Workers who breathe asbestos get cancer in their 40s’
“Although it was used more in the past, asbestos is also used in the construction of current ships. The ship from Brazil was built in the 1960s, when asbestos was used extensively. In this ship’s twin 760 tons of asbestos has knowledge of it. Even if it is said to be at least 600 tons in the press, if we accept it as its twin, it contains 760 tons of asbestos. The work does not end with asbestos alone. more different and There are also dangerous chemicals. What we always react to is that the workers working in ship dismantling are not given adequate protective equipment, the workers complain to us. We recently announced to the public that the material that a worker removed with his bare hands was asbestos. These workers are fading as they dismantle it.
Our first priority is human health. The first exposed workers are asbestos victims. By the time they reach their 40s, most getting cancer. These workers carry these items to their families in their daily clothes, as they are constantly in the dust, unable to make proper hygiene cabinets and quarantined dismantling. This ship contains asbestos and hazardous materials. As the President of the Association of Asbestos Removal Experts, I say ‘asbestos’, but as the President of the Occupational Health and Safety Federation, I am talking about all the dangers. They threaten workersMany workers write to us on Twitter. They’re right, they risk losing jobs. I tell them, ‘You shouldn’t be working in shipbreaking in the current conditions.’ This is a deadly powder and there are no asbestos-related cancer survivors in the literature.”
So why is this Brazilian ship being dismantled in Turkey?
“Shipbreaking actually exists all over the world. This ship is sold to the Brazilian Navy from the French Navy, but they put a condition in the contract at the time of sale. France says, ‘If you are going to scrap this ship, you will have it dismantled in a shipyard with European Union qualification’. There are 46 facilities that have obtained European Union qualification, 8 of them are in Aliağa. How many ships have been dismantled by the countries in the European Union, and how many have we dismantled? If the man is dismantling 4 ships, I am dismantling 200 ships. So this is profit making and according to the capital avarice rule It shows that we shouldn’t be doing this job. We made a call to these business areas, we said that we should come, inspect, provide free training, but we did not get a response.”
‘Under these conditions, it is necessary for humanity not to dismantle the ship in Aliağa’
”It is necessary for humanity that this ship should not be dismantled in Aliağa under the current conditions. Massacre if they’re going to dismantle that ship there. We are 30-40 years behind Europe in this regard. When a house is bought there, they check whether there is asbestos, they call an expert. We make these complaints to the Labor Inspection Board, they say, ‘We went, but we didn’t see anything like that’. We are doing this job due to social responsibility, we have no support or income. We also found asbestos in baby powder.. I went to the Ministry of Health, General Directorate of Public Health. I was told ‘Asbestos is a mine, so there is no inspection in the legislation’. Citizens should be conscious and this work needs to be settled in Turkey, otherwise there will be very serious diseases related to asbestos in the future. Asbestos-related cancers are a disease that has been tried in every way for its treatment, but with no results.
Call to the company that will carry out the dismantling: Let’s give free consultancy, training
Mehmet Şeyhmus Ensari, President of the Association of Asbestos Removal Experts
“Nuclear tests were also carried out with this ship. Radioactive is the easiest part here. Many radioactive materials have already been removed from the ship. This ship lost its buoyancy after 2017 and was retired. It will be towed to Turkey with two trailers. There is a 20 days – 1 month time to arrive in Aliağa. on that ship greatest risk is primarily in asbestos. Release that asbestos to Aliağa, you will kill all Aliağa. Let’s make a call to the company in your presence, come and do this dismantling according to the rules, we will give you free consultancy, we will provide free training to all your dismantling workers.
‘A time bomb full of asbestos is coming to Aliağa’
“A lot of ships come and go in Aliağa like Sao Paulo. I met with Tunç Soyer, Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, and made a presentation on the situation of Aliağa and the urban transformations of Izmir before. Mr. President was very interested and said that these studies should be developed. We are very pleased that he said in his statement that he would fight all kinds of legal battles for that ship. Under today’s conditions, that ship cannot be dismantled in Aliağa.. Our slogan is ‘Asbestos bomb is coming to Aliağa’. Asbestos is a time bomb, it settles in your lungs and explodes when the time comes, but when you realize it, it’s too late. A time bomb is coming to Aliağa.