Arabian Business quoted construction experts as saying that public health continues to be under threat from cancer causing asbestos due to poor demolition practices.

Mr Edward Forero senior manager at GTS said that “There is a large number of unscrupulous contractors who do not fulfill the obligations outlined by the municipality.”

He said that “A lot of unscrupulous contractors bidding for a project would say there is no asbestos 3 and just knock down. The way they police these things is very lackadaisical.”

The paper reported that Asbestos, a once popular insulator is now known to cause cancer if particles of the substance are breathed in. It has been banned since the 1980s in many European countries and the UAE outlawed the use of asbestos boards in November 2006 but some other materials containing the mineral still make their way into the UAE.

(Sourced from Arabianbusiness.com)