Protecting both public health and development

Photo: Filepic/The Star

I AM writing in response to two articles about asbestos published in The Star: “Asbestos: The tiny fibres that threaten our lives” by Sim Leoi Leoi (April 16, online at bit.ly/star_asbestos) and “Useful, but dangerous: Asbestos needs to be phased out” by Dr Helmy Haja Mydin (Jan 30, online at bit.ly/star_phaseout).

The two articles advocate for a complete ban on all asbestos in Malaysia. However, a blanket ban overlooks Malaysia’s documented absence of significant asbestos-related disease incidence. We attribute this primarily to the established safety regime governing the use of the chrysotile form of asbestos over many decades, supported by Malaysia’s current regulatory framework, socioeconomic realities and broader international context, which collectively ensure its safe use in the country.