Asbestos

A report from SPREP, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, in collaboration with the European Union and the World Health Organisation, has identified what it calls an unevenly distributed problem.

It says just four countries, Nauru, Niue, Kiribati and Vanuatu, account for 83 per cent of all the non-residential asbestos in the Pacific.

A survey has found that some South Pacific countries are awash with the hazardous building material which can lead to lung diseases or cancer.

The Pacific environment agency SPREP says that until now there's only been anecdotal evidence about the quantity and condition of asbestos in the region.

SPREP's Pacwaste project manager, Stewart Williams, says the survey, done with European Union assistance, found that the once-common building material is widespread, including in public buildings such as schools and hospitals.