Japanese Government Amends Laws concerning Asbestos

The Japanese parliament passed a bill on February 3, 2006, to amend four laws dealing with asbestos in order to prevent damage to human health and the environment.

The four laws have been amended as follows:
1. The Air Pollution Control Law makes it obligatory to take measures to prevent asbestos from becoming airborne during demolition of plants and equipment, as well as buildings.
2. The Local Finance Law stipulates that when local governments remove asbestos from public buildings, they can issue special local
bonds for financing the work.
3. The Building Standards Law restricts the spray application of asbestos and rockwool containing asbestos in order to prevent such building materials from causing health problems.
4. The Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law requires that a government approval system be created to promote treatment to detoxify asbestos waste, which is expected to increase dramatically in the future.

Prior to the submission of the bill, comprehensive measures were finalized at a ministerial meeting on December 27, 2005, to cope with health concerns associated with asbestos. The passage of the bill allows these four laws to be ammended in one step.

http://www.env.go.jp/en/

Posted: 2006/05/14 09:02:47 PM
Japanese version