Transnational Dynamics Amid Poor Regulations: Taiwan's Asbestos Ban Actions and Experiences

Our plain-English summary of Transnational Dynamics Amid Poor Regulations: Taiwan's Asbestos Ban Actions and Experiences, by H.Y. Wu, R.T. Lin, J.D. Wang, et al (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017).

The study

• Authors: H.Y. Wu, R.T. Lin, J.D. Wang, Y. Cheng
• Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Published: 2017;14(10)
• Type of article: Historical article
• Cited by: 8 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

This article describes the history of the asbestos use regulation process in Taiwan and the associated factors leading to its total ban in 2018. Despite the long history of asbestos mining and manufacturing since the Japanese colonial period, attempts to understand the impact of asbestos on the health of the population and to control its use did not emerge until the early 1980s. We attempted to investigate the driving forces and obstructions involved in asbestos regulations by reviewing available public sources and scientific journal articles and conducting interviews with key propagators of the asbestos regulation and ban. Correlation between asbestos exposure and asbestos-related diseases has already been established; however, authorities have been unable to effectively regulate the extensive application of asbestos in various light industries that support economic growth since the 1960s. More stringent regulations on asbestos use in industries and an eventual ban were caused indirectly by appeals made by visionary scholars and healthcare professionals but also due to the subsidence of asbestos-related industries. With the elucidation of factors that affect asbestos regulation and ban, a thorough long-term healthcare plan for the neglected victims of asbestos-related diseases and upstream measures for policy change must be developed.

In plain English

This article is a historical and policy review. The authors traced Taiwan's asbestos regulation from mining under Japanese rule to a total ban in 2018. They used public records, scientific articles and interviews with ban advocates. Taiwan's first rule, set in 1981, limited workplace air to 5 fibers per cc as a time-weighted average. A government survey with occupational health scholars, begun in 1982, found more than 75% of workplace air samples above that limit. Asbestos consumption peaked in 1983. A 1997 ban on crocidolite and amosite, which exempted research, testing and education, brought no obvious change in consumption. The authors said this was probably because most asbestos used was chrysotile. Firms with permits issued before 2018 may handle asbestos until those permits expire. Oral history evidence cited by the authors showed that victims were mostly reluctant to claim compensation or not eligible for it. Two authors helped organize a 2015 campaign workshop. The authors concluded that the ban depended on several factors and that long-term patient care and further policy measures are still needed.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Historical and policy review, based on public sources, scientific journal articles and interviews with people who promoted asbestos regulation and the ban
• Who was studied: The history of asbestos use and regulation in Taiwan, from mining under Japanese rule up to the total ban in 2018; no group of people was studied directly
• Exposure: Asbestos mined in Taiwan and imported (from South Africa and Canada, later China), used mainly in asbestos cement, abrasion-resistant products, insulation and textiles
• Main results:
  • In 1981 Taiwan's first asbestos regulation set the workplace permissible exposure limit at 5 fibers per cc of air, as a time-weighted average
  • A government project with occupational health scholars, begun in 1982 and cited by the authors from an earlier report, found that more than 75% of air samples collected in workplaces with asbestos operations exceeded the permissible exposure limit
  • Asbestos consumption in Taiwan peaked in 1983, and peaked again in 1986 for house reconstruction after typhoon Wayne
  • In 1997 the EPA banned the use of crocidolite and amosite, except for research, testing or education purposes
  • The 1997 ban brought no obvious change in asbestos consumption, which the authors said was probably because most asbestos consumed was chrysotile
  • Under the 2018 phase-out, companies with permits obtained before 1 January 2018 can still handle asbestos until their permits expire
  • Citing oral history evidence, the authors reported that asbestos victims were mostly reluctant to apply for workers' compensation benefits or were not eligible for them
  • The authors identified four driving forces behind Taiwan's asbestos regulation: the institutionalization of environmental and occupational medicine, appeals by public health scholars, transnational advocacy, and the transformation of industry
  • The article states that two of its authors, J.D. Wang and Y. Cheng, helped organize a 2015 campaign workshop with a local NGO
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, because of long consumption and a late ban, action is needed on long-term care for affected patients and on upstream measures for policy reform
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors noted that data on asbestos-containing materials from ships demolished in Taiwan's ship demolition industry are lacking

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure, Appeal.

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