Think home insulation, and most folk think of the pink fibreglass variety. Yet it appears the health risks associated with this widely used and available substance, are finally getting an honest hearing thanks to a woman whose life has personally been effected by man-made mineral fibres (MMMF).
January 7th 1997 was the day Deidre Van Gerven's husband Thom, was informed by his doctor he had pleural mesothelioma, for which there is no cure, there was nothing they could do, you are going to die. The lesser-known cancer effecting the lining of the lungs, was caused by exposure to asbestos.
"Thom literally died that day and merely existed till his actual death on the 1st June that year." Deidre said.
Once referred to as the 'magic mineral', asbestos use was widespread and pervasive due to its fibrous nature with unique qualities of flexibility and resistance to abrasion and fire. From 1890 to 1970 approximately 25,000,000 tons were used in the USA alone, and estimates are that as many as 3,000 asbestos containing products are still in use today. In the 1870's physicians began noting high incidence of pulmonary disease and death among workers in the industry, and as far back as 1918 the Prudential Insurance Company stopped issuing life insurance to them. It took until 1964 before concern grew for greater numbers of the general population, the so-called 'asbestos breathers', and not just asbestos workers.
Tragically the deaths continue, due partly to the often long latency period and the non biodegradable nature of the product, meanwhile another popular MMMF is being uncovered as lethal. Patented in Russia in 1840, commercially produced in USA since 1915, fibreglass is now used for thermal and acoustic insulation, fireproofing and as reinforcing material in plastics while more than 30,000 commercial products now contain it. By 1984, 632.88 million kilograms were being produced in the US, and that was increasing at 10.4% annually, as a replacement for the asbestos being phased out.
In 1970, Dr Mearl F Stanton of the US National Cancer Institute announced that "it is certain that in the pleura of the rat, fibrous glass of small diametre is a potent carcinogen." The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organisation listed fibreglass as a "probable human carcinogen" in 1987. In 1990, the members of the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) concluded unanimously that fibreglass "may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen" in humans. In the US, fibreglass must now be labeled a carcinogen.
"I find no such warnings in New Zealand. Are our lungs different to those overseas, or are we considered too dumb to realise. Is the same destruction of human lives that asbestos caused going to repeat itself all over?" Deidre asks.
Deidre has prepared a questionnaire to be filled out by those people who have been exposed to either asbestos or fibreglass, the results of which will be collated and hopefully change the way victims are treated.
"This is a chance to tell your story, and whether you are a victim or a family member, if you have been effected by either of these products, please contact me."
Contact Deidre van Gerven, 52A French Street, Masterton, ph 06 3782945 or 0800-80-2927, email: deidre.vangerven@xtra.co.nz, or visit her website at www.fibreaware.org.nz.
