Planned asbestos ban a boon to SCG, tile maker claims

A maker of concrete roof tiles yesterday protested against the move to ban chrysotile asbestos from roofing sheets over health concerns, claiming most manufacturers would be driven out of business while Siam Cement Group was expected to be the only one to benefit.

The National Economic and Social Advisory Council (NESAC) and the Health Assembly have studied the impact from chrysotile in the making of concrete roof tiles for about a year. They recently submitted the study results and a proposal to the Industry Ministry asking for a halt to the use of the mineral, also known as white asbestos, in roof tiles. The ministry will convene a meeting on Monday to pass the issue to the Cabinet for its consideration soon.
Uran Kleosakul, marketing manager of Oran Vanich, the maker of Oranit roofing tiles, said yesterday that there was a big company, which was the only one that makes concrete roof tiles without asbestos, trying to ask the government to proscribe the use of chrysotile asbestos.
He claimed that other manufacturers including Oran Vanich were not satisfied with the move and felt it was not fair to other makers, which do not have much capital for investment. Besides, he said, there was information that roof tiles containing chrysotile are stronger than those using replacement materials - pulp and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).
If people inhale chrysotile, the material will be discharged from the lungs within 14 days, while pulp and PVA will stay for 1,000 days, he said. Asbestos concrete roof tiles are also much cheaper than other tiles.
"Comparing roofing tiles of the same size, asbestos in production costs Bt25 apiece, while the others are Bt60. But the ones with asbestos are stronger and have a higher breaking load, so they are safer than the expensive ones," he said.
If the government decides to ban asbestos, many makers including Oran Vanich will close their plants and 5,000-6,000 workers will lose their jobs, he said.
There are four domestic makers of concrete roof tiles - SCG, Oran Vanich, Diamond Roofing Tile, and Mahaphant, which sells under the Ha Huang brand.
Uran claims that his company and Mahaphant each share 30 per cent of the overall roofingtile market worth Bt10 billion. SCG and Diamond Tile each share 20 per cent. SCG used to be the market leader with 50 per cent, but after the company changed to producing roofing tiles without asbestos three years ago, its share has dropped because of high prices, he said.
The three manufacturers continuing to use chrysotile have to import a combined 69,000 tonnes per year from many countries such as Russia and Canada. Imported asbestos is currently quoted at US$450 (Bt13,745) per tonne.
SCG, which invested Bt3 billion to revamp its production line to use replacement materials, has to import PVA, he said. However, the company has a petrochemical business, so it could possibly produce PVA by itself in the future.
"So far, there are no scientific find�ings that prove that Thais who have died from mesothelioma died from a disease caused by asbestos. So why do we have to change to benefit the minority, and force most Thais who are poor to use the expensive products?" he said.
Oran Vanich held a news conference yesterday to air this issue, but the other manufacturers using asbestos did not join in.
Vithaya Kulsomboon, director of pharmaceutical sciences at Chulalongkorn University, and a member of NESAC, said 57 countries and territories, including all of Europe, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong, have banned asbestos from roof tiles.
Although there is no proof in Thailand that asbestos in roof tiles causes mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, other countries have evidence and class the mineral as a dangerous substance.
It is not necessary for Thailand to wait for the evidence before making the decision to outlaw asbestos, he added.