This study will examine the prevalence of asbestosis (and other fibrotic lung disesases) among a migrant shipbreaker population in Bogra District, Bangladesh.

“Shipbreaking” is the dismantling and recycling of obsolete vessels. In Bangladesh, this work is carried out with virtually no heavy equipment on open beaches and the labourers are often migrant workers from the impoverished regions of the north. While 97% of the ship is reusable and the industry has created thousands of jobs, the work is hazardous, putting workers at risk of acute dangers such as asphyxiation, falling debris, fires, explosions and electrocution. Chronic diseases such as lung fibroses and cancer can also occur from exposure to heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and asbestos, which are all recognized carcinogens. Although the ships contain these hazardous substances, most work is done without adequate training or protection, and there is high potential for exposures in the shipyards.

I will undertake a study of asbestosis and general health among a migrant shipbreaker population in Bangladesh that has returned home to northern communities of Bogra District from the Southern port city of Chittagong where shipbreaking occurs. I will collaborate with the National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM), of the University of Dhaka, and health officials in Bogra District. Chest x-rays and a physical exam will be performed on 100 former and current shipbreakers. All subjects will be interviewed about their knowledge and handling of asbestos. The x-rays will be analyzed by a radiologist in North America. Ethical review will be obtained at the University of British Columbia and the Bangladesh Medical Research Council.

The field work will commence in Bangladesh in August 2008. Field work in Bogra will end in November, 2008, and the results of this study will me made available in the summer of 2009.