Asbestos in China-made cars

[Rob2020]

Great Wall, Chery Recall Most Australia Cars on Asbestos - Bloomberg

Is there no thought given to morality from these China companies?

From the article:
"Great Wall Motor Co. (2333) and Chery Automobile Co., China’s two biggest car exporters, recalled most of their vehicles sold in Australia after authorities found potential cancer-causing asbestos in some models."

"Fifty-five countries including Japan and all members of the European Union, though excluding China, have nationwide bans on asbestos in factories, buildings and car parts. "

"All forms of asbestos are carcinogenic, according to the World Health Organization. The Geneva-based United Nations agency estimates that one person dies every 5 minutes from an asbestos-related disease somewhere in the world, causing 107,000 deaths annually."

[amitsingh_hk]

Great Wall, Chery Recall Most Australia Cars on Asbestos - Bloomberg

Is there no thought given to morality from these China companies?

From the article:
"Great Wall Motor Co. (2333) and Chery Automobile Co., China’s two biggest car exporters, recalled most of their vehicles sold in Australia after authorities found potential cancer-causing asbestos in some models."

"Fifty-five countries including Japan and all members of the European Union, though excluding China, have nationwide bans on asbestos in factories, buildings and car parts. "

"All forms of asbestos are carcinogenic, according to the World Health Organization. The Geneva-based United Nations agency estimates that one person dies every 5 minutes from an asbestos-related disease somewhere in the world, causing 107,000 deaths annually."

China is not the only country still using asbestos... The US is too...

[Rob2020]

true, "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency selectively bans the material in products such as spray-on paint and pipe insulation."

but does that make it OK ?

[amitsingh_hk]

true, "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency selectively bans the material in products such as spray-on paint and pipe insulation."

but does that make it OK ?

absolutely NOT.
They have weighed the cost of a replacement with public health, and chose the former.

Russia is still heavily mining the stuff, though Canada is too.

[Gruntfuttock]

And white asbestos is still legal and used in HK. The latest figures I can find, for 2010, were that 35 tons of the stuff were imported that year.

The EPD has made proposals to extend the ban on blue and brown asbestos also to cover white asbestos, but as far as I can see those proposals have not yet taken legislative effect.

(Source: http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/en...ConAbs-eng.pdf )

[Rob2020]

And white asbestos is still legal and used in HK. The latest figures I can find, for 2010, were that 35 tons of the stuff were imported that year.

Scary... reinforces the opinion that public health and environmental concerns are not at the top of the food chain here

[Gruntfuttock]

Around 10-20 people per year are diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases in HK, and I expect that most of them will relate to the brown and blue asbestos that has been banned for about 25 years, but which still exists in significant quantities in old-buildings and to which demolition workers can be exposed if proper care is not taken.

On the scale of things to worry about, white asbestos in small sealed gaskets which will only pose any risk at all to motor mechanics who handle them incorrectly is, rightly, way down the list or priorities compared to things like road safety, air pollution, bad diets, lack of exercise and a load of other things that governments should spend more time worrying about.

[wtbhotia]

This is like Lead in paint, Phthalates in materials, Lead in jewelery, All are banned or controlled in children's products but in my field we still see it happening all due to the costs and margins squeezed by the major retailers, so finding asbestos in cars is not surprising.