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The roof of the Suva Market is being rapidly changed because it contains toxic asbestos material.
Re-elected Suva Lord mayor Ratu Peni Volavola confirmed to FijiLive that the roof contained asbestos and the Suva City Coucil was moving at a rapid pace to get the roof changed.
“We are working only at night, so we don’t allow the market vendors and consumers to inhale the asbestos fibres. It’s costing us $650,000,” he said.
“The whole exercise is going to be completed in April 2009.”
The Lord Mayor also confirmed that the SCC had not received any reports of vendors becoming sick after being exposed to asbestos in the market.
“It would be the people on the upper level who would be more at risk,” he added.
Asbestos is toxic. The inhalation of toxic asbestos fibres can cause serious illnesses, including malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis - also called pneumoconiosis. Since the mid 1980s, many uses of asbestos have been banned in several countries.
Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century because of its resistance to heat, electricity and chemical damage, its sound absorption and tensile strength.
When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibres are often mixed with cement or woven into fabric or mats.
Asbestos was used in some products for its heat resistance, and in the past was used on electric oven and hotplate wiring for its electrical insulation at elevated temperature and in buildings for its flame-retardant and insulating properties, tensile strength, flexibility and resistance to chemicals.
