If explored further, Indonesia is a developing country with the level of development in the industry is increasing. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, often suffered by workers in industries such as shipbuilding, mining, construction and other production industries that use asbestos materials. In Indonesia alone there are still many industries that use asbestos materials in their production processes.
Unlike in other countries, asbestos is still legal in Indonesia. Even imports of asbestos carried out in an amount not less. From the BBC website, I get the data that Canada exported 153,000 tonnes of asbestos in 2009, where Indonesia is one of the objectives of the Canadian asbestos exports. Factory asbestos can be found easily in Indonesia. You simply search for information on the internet, it will emerge the results of several factories producing asbestos. Asbestos is known as a cheap material. Developing countries such as Russia, China, Brazil and India are also still regularly use asbestos as an ingredient of some industries in their countries.
In Indonesia, there are still many homes and buildings using asbestos materials. Schools, office buildings, warehouses, can be a source of exposure to asbestos is very dangerous for people to be in the building and the building in the long term. Call it a school, you can imagine how the fate of the children and teachers were exposed to asbestos over the years. As we know, in the category of mesothelioma asbestosis, can only be diagnosed after a long period of time, even up to 30 years after exposure to asbestos for the first time.
I tried to find some data on cases of teachers and pupils affected by mesothelioma in Indonesia. Until I wrote this article, I have not found data that could be material to this article. However, there are cases where data collected by the United States Association of Teachers (NUT) in 2015, there are 86% of school buildings in the United States contain substances that can cause cancer. About 44% of teachers do not know whether their school is categorized schools that use the hazardous material. While 46% say they already know the dangers of asbestos. And about 10% said they had been told that the building is free of asbestos. Kevin Courtney, NUT General Secretary said about 200-300 graduates died of mesothelioma.
Seeing these facts, Indonesia has been duly take seriously the problem of asbestos, given the dangers posed very bad and could be lethal. Yet found a cure for this aggressive type of cancer. Treatment is given only to reduce the pain suffered by the victim and give a little more time before the victim died.
There is one case that quite caught my attention because the case involves state officials in Indonesia. Health Minister off, Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, breathed his last on May 2, 2012 after intensive care for a month at a famous hospital in Jakarta. Endang suffering from lung cancer until his death can not be ascertained what type of cancer he suffered. There is speculation that he was suffering cancer causes are smoking. But speculation was immediately denied by the family Endang Endang considering nonsmokers and smokers do not live in the neighborhood. Up to now has not been revealed, but there is strong evidence that Endang exposed to mesothelioma since he is an officer who often were in the office. No follow-up of these cases, no one trying to find the exact cause and any type of cancer that had ended the life of a Minister.
In the same year, there are cases that are not less interesting in Salatiga, Central Java. An asbestos factory gets opposition from the public and several related agencies such as the Environment Agency, District, Department of Health, as well as the YLKI (Indonesian Consumers Foundation). Operating permits and production of asbestos factory must be reconsidered. Environment Agency considers asbestos factory are not licensed EIA strong enough. The factory waste dumped directly into the river and onto the highway so it is vulnerable to damage the environment. This is unfortunate because the new note after 19 years the factory was established in Salatiga.
Actually, from the Health Department and Community Health Center, as well as the YLKI've done some research on the plant and managed to find exposure to inhaled asbestos highly vulnerable workers and residents around the plant so it is very risky cause mesothelioma cancer. Socialization activities in the community related to the problem only becomes discourse and never realized.
Back again to the laws governing asbestos in Indonesia. Previously, WHO had released the data that there are approximately 125 million people affected by exposure to asbestos each year and nearly 100 thousand of them suffer from mesothelioma at the end of their lives. A total of 55 countries have banned the use of asbestos. The EU made the ban on asbestos in 2005, the United States has also issued similar regulations. Even in South Africa, asbestos also not be used again as the building materials industry and considering the number of cases related to asbestos (asbestos exposure), including mesothelioma happens there.
And what about the law in Indonesia? In Indonesia alone, the activities of distribution, production and use of asbestos is still legal. An NGO named INA-BAN (Indonesia Ban Asbestos Network) has been established as a means of dissemination of information and the use of asbestos in Indonesia. INA-BAN also regularly campaign to stop the use of asbestos in Indonesia.
Actually, government regulation relating to the use of asbestos has been around since 1985. The decision Mennakertrans has set about Occupational Health and Safety (K3) on the use of white asbestos in Indonesia. Decision of the Director General of Manpower and Transmigration has also regulates the use of white asbestos in the workplace based on ILO guidelines on the safe use of asbestos. Asbestos has also been categorized as B3 (Hazardous Materials Toxic) based on Government Regulation No. 18 of 1999. Even in 1993, President Suharto had issued Presidential Decree No. 22, 1993 stating that asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma are categorized as Disease Due to Employment.
Existing regulations include rules that limited the use of asbestos in Indonesia. There are no regulations actually prohibit the use of asbestos. But there is good news from the Ministry of Environment is preparing regulations on the prohibition of the use of asbestos in the framework of the World Asbestos Ban. Based on Government Regulation of 1985, which prohibited new blue asbestos use. Hopefully future asbestos is completely banned in Indonesia so it can not be found more victims who died from asbestos exposure and mesothelioma suffers.
Thus polemic asbestos and mesothelioma in Indonesia today. As a continuation of this article, on the next post I will make an article about the laws governing cases of mesothelioma between the company and its employees.
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