le
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Public housing estates built
of adestos related material
of
Question No. 10
Written Reply by Hon. C.R. Saunders, JP, Secretary
for Lands and Wokks, to question by Dr. Hon. Conrad Lam in Legislative Council on 29 June 1988
10. MR. LAM asked:
Question:
Will Government inform this Council how many residents are accommodated in public housing built of asbestos-related materials, where are these buildings located, and what measures will Government take to safeguard the health of the residents living in these buildings?
SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS:
sir,
An public housing estates, asbestos is found mainly in asbestos-cement, which contains a small amount
of asbestos fibres mixed into the concrete. Building
materials made of asbestos-cement have been used in the
past for balcony and staircase balustrading as well as for
roof insulation. The Director of Environmental Protection
has confirmed however that, provided they are not
disturbed, the existence of these materials does not pose
an undue health risk to residents.
A total of 325 blocks in Marks III, IV and V
estates built between 1962 and 1969, housing 667,000
tenants, have been identified as containing some
asbestos-cement products. All these blocks are scheduled for redevelopment under the Long-Term Housing Strategy and
safe methods have been devised by the Housing Department
in conjunction with the Environmental Protection
Department and Labour Department for the removal of
asbestos-cement materials during demoliton or repair prior
to redevelopment.
In addition, 1,664 temporary housing
structures built prior to 1984, housing about 90,000
tenants, have asbestos-cement roofing. The use of this
material for roofing ceased in 1984.