ASBESTOS roofs are being used less in new buildings, a spokesperson for the Engineering Department (Building) of Yangon City Development Committee said.

“High technologies allow us to use modern building materials in houses constructed after 1990 and many varieties of domestically produced and imported building materials are available,” he said.

He said asbestos roofs are rare in new houses but asbestos ceilings are still found.

Asbestos was commonly used in buildings before 1970 because of its thermal resistance, tensile strength and acoustic insulation properties.

Although asbestos has useful qualities as a building material, asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma can be caused by its fibres and many countries have banned its use.

Professor Dr Zay Soe, consultant chest physician, said that a small number of lung cancer patients suffer directly as a result of exposure to asbestos fibres.

“Most of the lung cancer patients are here from smoking and mesothelioma, which is the main disease caused by asbestos fibres, is rarely seen,” he said.

He said that tiny asbestos fibres, with a length of about five microns to 50 microns and a diameter of about half a micron, [one micron is a thousandth of a millmetre], enter the lungs by inhalation and can cause scar tissue which affects the proper functioning of the lungs and, when combined with smoking, it can increase the risk.

He said that the disease may developed 20 to 40 years after exposure to asbestos and that people in touch with it, such as the construction workers and those producing the asbestos sheets, should be aware of the risks in their workplace and take regular medical check-ups.

The YCDC’s Building Department spokesperson said that there are no specific regulations on using asbestos in buildings.

He said the department had not received public complaints concerning the use of asbestos or instruction from the ministries.

But people from the building trade say asbestos is losing popularity to plaster cornices and gypsum board which have design advantages and are cheaper.