MYTHS:	FACTS:
1 – Fibre Cement is a dangerous material.	– Fibre Cement is completely safe. It is not corrosive, reactive, ignitable or toxic.
2 – Inhalation of even one fibre of Fibre Cement is harmful.	– Thousands of Fibre Cement fibres, invisible, are inhaled by us every day from natural resources and cleared off by natural clearance mechanisms without harm. Fibre Cement has only 7-9% Fibre Cement fibre that is bound with cement and cannot be released into the air. Even if any fibre is released, its chemical characteristics change because of bonding with cement and it cannot be called Fibre Cement fibre
3 – Fibre Cement water pipes cause colonic carcinoma and other diseases.	– Fibre Cement fibres in water are ingested without any harm whatsoever. Therefore the AC water pipes pose no threat. Even the World Health Organization permits the use of Chrysotile Fibre Cement pipes.
4 – Developed countries have banned Fibre Cement products. Only poor countries need it	– No prohibition of Fibre Cement products in over 77% of world nations.
5 – Fibre Cement production is banned in the USA	– The US Court of Appeals rejected a proposed ban on scientific grounds. Fibre Cement products are not banned in the USA.

Chrysotile fibre is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral belonging to the serpentine group of minerals. Commonly known as white asbestos, it is the most widely used form of asbestos worldwide. Chrysotile occurs in underground rock formations and is extracted through mining and rock-crushing processes. The fibres are fine, flexible, strong, and possess excellent resistance to heat, moisture, and chemical degradation.

Owing to its strength, durability, flexibility, and resistance to heat and corrosion, chrysotile fibre has historically been used in a wide range of industrial and construction applications. One of its most significant uses has been as a reinforcing material in the manufacture of fibre cement products, including fibre cement roofing sheets (commonly known as asbestos-cement or AC roofing sheets) and pressure pipes. The addition of chrysotile fibre enhances the strength, durability, and overall performance of these products.

The world’s leading producers and exporters of chrysotile fibre are Russia, Kazakhstan, and Brazil.

India does not produce chrysotile fibre commercially and therefore relies entirely on imports from these countries to meet domestic requirements. The imported fibre is used by the Indian fibre cement industry for the manufacture of fibre cement roofing sheets and pressure pipes, which are widely utilized in housing, agriculture, industrial structures, infrastructure development, and water supply projects across the country.

Difference from Other Types of Asbestos

There are six naturally occurring asbestos minerals. Chrysotile belongs to the serpentine family and accounts for the vast majority of historical asbestos use. The other five asbestos minerals belong to the amphibole family:

• Amosite
• Crocidolite
• Tremolite
• Actinolite
• Anthophyllite

Chrysotile fibres are curly and flexible, whereas amphibole fibres are generally straight, needle-like, and more brittle.

Property	Chrysotile Fibre	Synthetic Fibres
Origin	Naturally occurring mineral	Man-made
Structure	Microscopic fibrous crystals	Manufactured fibres
Heat Resistance	Excellent	Low
Tensile Strength	High	Low
Cost	Traditionally economical	Usually higher, depending on fibre
Durability	Long service life	Low to moderate

These products, also commonly known as AC (Fibre Cement) products, are made with a mix of Chrysotile fibres (9%), cement (about 40%), Fly Ash (about 30%) and the rest being wood pulp and water. Over 95% of Chrysotile Fibre Cement fibre imports of India go into Chrysotile Fibre Cement sheet and pipe production.

AC Sheets have been used in India for over 80 years. Being weather-proof, fire-resistant, non-combustible, and corrosion resistant, these sheets are durable practically ageless and maintenance-free, whereas metal sheets corrode and deteriorate with age and exposure.

AC Sheets have also proven to be the most cost-effective, easy-to-install, strong and durable roofing material for warehouses, factories, low-cost housing, and practically any structure needing a roof. Apart from India, other developing countries – China, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam are also large users of AC Sheets.

AC sheets and pipes, being corrosion and erosion-free, once properly laid and jointed, need no maintenance or replacement. They are also very cost-effective.

AC products, which consume low energy in manufacture and do not in any way deplete the natural resources, meet the needs of the country in its developing economy in the context of rapidly rising population and limited resources.

AC products are manufactured under licence strictly conforming to the specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standards. IS 459/1992 for Corrugated Roofing Sheets. AC Pressure Pipes are covered by IS 1592/2003.

S.No.	Characteristics	Fibre Cement sheet	Colour coated  metal sheets	Galvanized aluminium sheets
1	Life Span(Years)	50 yrs (Min) Non-Corrosive	Data not available.	10-15 yrs
2	Maintenance	NIL	NIL
3	Fire Rating	Fire Retardant  and Non Combustible	Tendency to twist and melt	Tendency to twist and melt
4	Thermal Insulation	Good	Poor	Poor
5	Accoustic Rating	Good	Poor	Poor
6	Absorption of Rain and Wind Noise	Good (deadens these noises)	Poor	Poor
7	Energy Required in Production	16	124	69
	(Kilowatthours(kwh)/SQ.M)
8	Man Power	Intensive	Low	Low
	Employment Potential
9	Wind Resistance	Good	Poor	Poor
	When Installed
10	Weather Effect	None	Surface oxidation	Corrosion at drilled holes and where galvanizing is cracked
11	Bimetallic Reaction	None	Present in contact with	None
			concrete and other metals
			in presence of moisture
12	Condensation	Low and will not effect sheet	High and will result in corrosion	High and will effect sheet
13	Effect of High Winds	Minimum	Rattling sound	Unacceptable rattling sound
14	Noise Level	Low	High	High
15	Protective Coating	Not required	Required to avoid direct	Not required
			Contact with cement, limesoil, Iron, copper, etc.
16	Storage	Can be stored in open space at work site	Needs closed go-down for storage to avoid weather assaults	Needs closed go-down for storage to avoid weather assaults
17	Coverage Efficiency	Approx. 50% higher than GC and Aluminium Sheets.	Effective laid area becomes only 67% as compared to AC Sheets.	Effective laid area becomes only 67% as compared to AC Sheets
18	Cost	Low	Highest	High

2001 – Central Labour Institute (CLI) conducted an Occupational Health and Environmental Study in M/s Visaka Industries Ltd., Medak Dist., Andhra Pradesh -established in 1985.

A total of 99 workers were subjected to medical examinations and investigations and the study revealed no cases of possible Fibre Cementis out of the workers examined.

2002 – Central Labour Institute (CLI) conducted Occupational Health and Environmental Study in M/s Hyderabad Industries Ltd., Jasidih, Jharkhand – established in 1979.

A total of 82 workers were examined and the study revealed no cases of possible Fibre Cementis out of the workers examined.

2003 – Regional Labour Institute (RLI) conducted Occupation Health studies at M/s UAL Bengal, and at M/s Neelachal Resource Pvt.Ltd., both in Midnapore, West Bengal. These units were established in 1999 and 1997 respectively.

A total of 101 workers were subjected to general medical examination and investigations through random sampling. In both these units no cases of Fibre Cement related disorder were diagnosed during the conduct of the study.

2004 – The Central Labour Institute (CLI) conducted a National Study on Health Status of Workers in the Fibre Cement Industry”. This study was carried out in 8 Chrysotile industrial units out of which 5 units were manufacturing Fibre Cement Products using Chrysotile and other 3 units were engaged in manufacture of brake linings.

A total of 702 workers in the age groups of 20 to 50 years who were subjected to exposure between 6 to 20 years were studied. No established cases of Fibre Cementis were detected during the Study.

2005 – CLI conducted a National Study on Status of Work Environment in Fibre Cement Products Manufacturing Industry- Evaluation of Airborne Fibre Cement Fibres. This study was carried out in 12 units, 6 units manufacturing Fibre Cement Sheets, 3 manufacturing Fibre Cement Pipes and 3 units manufacturing Friction materials and other products like, brake assembly and millboard. All these units were using Chrysotile fibre.

The study concluded that concentrations of airborne Fibre Cement fibres in 75% of the units studied (manufacturing Chrysotile cement products) were less than 0.5 f/cc while remaining 25% units manufacturing friction materials and other products, the concentration of airborne fibres were between 0.5f/cc to 1f/cc, but nowhere the fibre concentration exceeded the PLE of 1f/cc.

2012 – The study conducted by NIOH found that the fibre levels were found to be lower than the national permissible levels and that all of the organized factories were using protective measures for the control of occupational and environmental health hazards.

From the above, it can be observed that in the studies undertaken during the period 2001-2012, no issues related to Fibre Cement were detected among the workers in the units manufacturing products using Chrysotile variety of Fibre Cement.