Japan Still Using Asbestos Laden Passenger TrainsINDEX...HOME Good Sites July 20 2005 Japanese railway companies are still using a total of 650 train carriages which utilize asbestos as a heat insulator. Officials argue that the usage of the deadly substance, which is known to be the cause of mesothelioma, poses no danger to passangers. The argue that there is no chance that the asbestos in these trains can be released into their air. While this claim is dubidible of potentially greater concern is the danger posed by these trains when they are ultimately dissasembled. At least five former employees in charge of dismantling the dufunct trains have since contracted mesothelioma. Many of the trains are expected to be decommissioned in coming years. One of the companies who uses the largest number of such trains plans to decommission 90 of their remaining 250 trains by the end of this fiscal year. This move is likely due to increased pressure from mesothelioma prevention advocacy groups as well as to concerns over future liability from exposure from the trains. asahi.com reports: The total accounts for about 2 percent of all carriages those companies use, officials said. The said fire-resistant asbestos was considered an ideal insulator for train cars at the time because the use of burnable materials was banned. |