Made in China (with asbestos)
By John Ferguson
Workers package asbestos in Zhangye, China.CONSUMERS are being exposed to a booming trade in Chinese products laced with asbestos, as border-security officials admit to a limited capacity to stop contaminated goods entering Australia, potentially contributing to a fresh wave of disease.
As the government deals with the fallout from the contaminated Chinese berries scandal, Australian Customs and Border Protection Service officials told The Australian that, despite the best efforts of the organisation, it was unable to guarantee the safety of imported Chinese goods.
It said that while existing legislation made illegal the introduction of asbestos products to Australia without official permission, its efforts were “proportionate to the level of risk’’.
“ACBPS is not able to guarantee that all imported goods will be free of asbestos. Importers are responsible for ensuring the goods they import are free from asbestos and must declare this on import documentation,’’ the department said.
In strong parallels with the drugs trade, Customs officials are hampered by a lack of resources, large and porous borders and the sheer weight of numbers of Chinese-sourced goods that have been pouring into Australia.
Unions are alarmed at the potential harm to consumers and workers, with examples of asbestos recently found in cheap plasterboard from China — a recipe for disaster for plasterers — gaskets, trains, mining equipment and other vehicles.
While virtually all the Western world has shunned asbestos in recent years, China and Russia have failed to act meaningfully against the product, which is linked with long and painful respiratory diseases believed to have killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Chinese officials have sought to clamp down on asbestos use in recent years, but it remains the world’s second-biggest producer and the problem stems in many cases from factories ignoring the local regulations.
Asbestos Industry Association Queensland president Michael Shepherd told The Australian it was difficult to stop the transgressors.
“The issue we have is how do you stop it?’’ he said.
Asked how widespread the issue could be, he said: “We don’t know how big the problem is.’’
Maria McGarvie, a senior associate at Slater and Gordon specialising in asbestos cases, said it was essential governments remained vigilant to the potential for a spike in import-related cases.
“That’s the sort of thing that we really want to put a stop to,’’ Ms McGarvie said.
Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia president Robert Vojakovic said that Russia was the leading asbestos offender but China was a major player and there was deep concern about contaminated Chinese products being brought to Australia.
“It’s contraband, it’s a prohibited substance,’’ he said.
The extent of the problem facing local consumers first became known in 2012, when Ateco Automotive recalled almost 25,000 Great Wall and Chery Chinese cars after asbestos was found in the engine and exhaust gaskets.
Ateco Automotive said the asbestos was bound into gaskets in the engine and exhaust system, but argued that it did not present any risk to consumers during the use of the vehicle.
Almost 30 different gaskets contained asbestos.
The biggest risk was to any mechanic or auto electrician who worked on the vehicles.
Customs said it was proactive in trying to curb asbestos: “We may take prosecution action against importers found to have imported goods containing asbestos, with penalties of up to $170,000 for individuals, $850,000 for companies, or three times the value of the goods — whichever is greater.’’
“ACBPS does not rely on prosecutions alone to ensure better compliance outcomes. (It) works with a range of federal, state and territory agencies to address concerns about the importation of goods containing asbestos, and our …
approach includes education, campaigns, outreach activities and refining our targeting activity to account for high-risk countries of origin and suppliers.”
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