Eco-activists called on Ukrainians who dismantle destroyed houses to use special clothes, masks and glasses to protect themselves from asbestos.
Asbestos is one of the most dangerous wastes, which is under rubble, writes the environmental initiative Green Bird on Facebook.
"Unfortunately, many citizens, while disassembling such debris, neglect safety rules, which may negatively affect their health in the future," the report said.
Asbestos was widely used in the world until the 70s of the last century in automobile production, in the manufacture and insulation of pipes, for strengthening ceilings and floors, roofing, and even for finishing materials and household items.
Chrysotile-asbestos is most widely used in the manufacture of slate, which in Ukraine is still used to cover the roofs of houses, or to make fences or farm buildings from it.
According to WHO retrospective studies, 15,000 people in Europe died each year from diseases caused by exposure to asbestos. In addition, it is the cause of oncological diseases.
In Ukraine, draft law No. 4142, which in particular prohibits products made of asbestos, has already been adopted in the first reading.
"Even in peacetime, Ukrainians often lined broken slate in their home territory and made paths out of it, constantly raising carcinogenic particles of chrysotile asbestos into the air as they stepped," the article says.
The methods of protection against asbestos dust are the same for everyone, because asbestos tends to settle on clothes, shoes and skin. You can work with asbestos-containing waste only in special clothes, a mask, and glasses. It is better to moisten the workplace so that the dust does not fly away.
"Remains of asbestos products should be packed and taken to designated disposal sites. And in no case - not into the nearby forest, field or river," the report said.
After their storage at the waste disposal site, asbestos-containing materials should be covered with an insulating layer (soil, clay, crushed construction waste, etc.) with a thickness of at least 75 cm to avoid further contact with the surrounding natural environment.
As Ecopolitics previously reported, asbestos, which is considered one of the most dangerous substances, it is still used in Ukraine, mostly in construction as a thermal insulation material.
