UNIVERSITY of the West Indies (UWI) scientist, Professor Ishenkumba Kahwa has expressed concern for several St Andrew homeowners whose houses have been constructed with material containing asbestos.

“Just walking in Barbican by itself you could easily come up with 15 houses that have asbestos roofs. The Paddington area, these are prime areas, Charlton Drive, downtown Kingston and Stony Hill. Some of them it is both the roof and the ceiling [that contain asbestos],” said Professor Kahwa, who is the head of the Department of Pure and Applied Sciences at the university.

He disclosed that some of the owners of these buildings have been constrained from removing and replacing the parts of their home that pose the danger because of the huge costs associated with this.

During a visit to his laboratory at the UWI, Mona by the Jamaica Observer, Professor Kahwa pointed to a photograph of one of the very large houses that he had visited as part of his research and disclosed that it would cost the owners of that property a huge amount of money to remove and replace the roofing. He added that the total cost, which can be way in excess of a million dollars is determined by several factors, including the size of the property.

Scientists have long advised that extended exposure to high concentrations of asbestos fibres causes health problems, including several types of cancer.

Concerns about the presence of asbestos at local workplaces have heightened in recent weeks, resulting in the disruption of operations at two Corporate Area fire stations, where firemen complained that sections of the buildings were constructed with the deadly material. Workers at Caribbean Cement Company also went on strike over similar concerns.

In response to the escalating fears regarding possible exposure to asbestos, the state-run National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) advised members of the public that there was no need to panic, as asbestos is only harmful if disturbed.

While not discounting NEPA’s advisory, Professor Kahwa said he is still worried about the fact that homeowners will likely to struggle to afford the proper removal of the asbestos material from their homes.

He noted that while the Government and private enterprises have developed timetables for the removal of the material from their buildings, some houses, particularly in Kingston and St Andrew have large amounts of asbestos which will have to be removed over the medium or long term.

“When the neighbours who do not have asbestos say ‘you have asbestos on your house’, and that is depressing the value of properties in the neighbourhood, they are going to put pressure on the homeowners to remove that asbestos,” said Professor Kahwa.

CEO of AA Asbestos Consultant Services, Lennox Lewis told the Sunday Observer that the huge costs stem from the fact that only persons with specialised training are authorised to remove or dispose of asbestos.

He explained that after the roofing is removed, using specialised techniques, the material has to be taken to the Riverton landfill, where the National Solid Waste management Authority (NSWMA) takes over and buries it in a designated area.

According to him, the NSWMA’s fees for its service are very high, and plays a huge role in determining the final cost of the undertaking.

His explanation was endorsed by Randall Williams of Notchline Traders who indicated that the cost of removing asbestos-tainted roofing from the average house could cost between $1.5 – $2m. After that, the affected homeowners will still have to grapple with the cost of replacing the roof.

Professor Khawa also expressed concern about what he cited as the reluctance of local mortgage-lending institutions to assist homeowners with its removal once they find out that their houses contain the hazardous material .