29th July, 2015
Mr Urs Wagner, Senior International Environmental Expert in the United Nations, has called on the Federal Government to ban the importation of asbestos into Nigeria to curb toxic threats to human health.
He made the call at a two-day National Stakeholders Training Workshop on the “Environmental Sound Management of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)” in Abuja on Tuesday.
The workshop was organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the World Bank.
Wagner, also an Asbestos Management Expert, regretted that asbestos commonly used as roofing sheets in Nigeria contained PCBs which were detrimental to human health.
According to him, some potential damage related to long term exposure to PCBs include damage of liver and kidney, negative effects on the thyroid hormones, reproductive system, impaired immune function and possible carcinogenic effects.
He said that constant exposure to PCBs could also cause cancer, delayed fertilisation in pregnant women, harm wild life and affect growth in children.
According to him, capacitors, corrosive paints, switches, transformers, and spilled oil among others also contain elements of PCBs.
He explained that most of the exposed victims of PCBs were not aware of the dangers.
Wagner, however, called for increased awareness and media partnership to sensitise members of the public on possible dangers of PCBs.
“PCB is a man made synthetic substance. It is one of the 21 Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) under the Stockholm Convention which require immediate international action.
“Asbestos can be deadly for those who inhale fiber from it over a certain period. There is scientific evidence proven that asbestos is a threat to human beings,” he said.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Mrs Nana Mede, described PCBs as a class of organic compounds which were toxic and highly persistent in the environment.
Mede was represented by the Deputy Director, Department of Pollution Control in the ministry, Mr Theodore Nwaokwe.
Mede said the Federal Government had initiated a four year PCBs Management Project to strengthen the national capacity for the management of PCBs and other organic pollutants.
She said that a National Policy Framework on PCB Management had been developed and adopted by the Federal Executive Council.
Mede said the workshop was aimed at training and creating awareness to solicit public support for sound PCBs management through better understanding of its adverse effect on public health and environment.
According to her, having recognised the environmental and health threats posed by organic pollutants, the Federal Government fully participated in the negotiations leading to the adoption of the Stockholm Convention.
“The convention requires all parties to eliminate the use of PCBs containing equipment by 2025.
“It is pertinent to note that within the framework of this project, a national baseline inventory of PCBs contaminated equipment has been conducted in 15 states.
“It was confirmed that over 6,000 contaminated equipment and 1,689 tons of contaminated oil were in existence in the country,” she said.
The participants at the workshop called for continuous training and workshop to sensitise the public on the dangers of inhaling PCBs and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
The Nigeria PCBs Management Project is a response to the implementation of the National Implementation Plan (NIP) and seeks to meet the commitment of Nigeria for PCBs under the Stockholm Convention.
The project is a four-year programme initiated in February 2012.
The project is being funded with grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Federal Government counterpart funding.