October 28th, 2005

A report from the Health Ministry has revealed that there could be a risk of asbestos exposure at many public and health facilities around the country. The report indicated that over 340 hospitals, nearly 500 welfare facilities, and around 15 job training centers around the nation pose risks of asbestos exposure. However, officials have also added that the report released is an interim one, and that the final report could show that the figures in each of these areas is much higher.

The Ministry will also be working to identify which of the rooms at these facilities pose the risks of asbestos exposure. One official stated: "We'll work even harder to collect detailed information in the final report scheduled to be released at the end of November." In the meantime, those identified as posing a risk have been ordered to remove asbestos from the buildings.

The Ministry has not released the names of the facilities identified publicly, but has stated that this is up to the individual state officials to decide. The investigation began in August, where Ministry officials began to survey hospitals and various welfare facilities. A number of facilities were excluded from the investigation, including those build after the mid-1990s, as by this time sprayed asbestos was banned.