Question - What is “ship breaking” and what are the hazards to the workers engaged in this activity?
Answer- The cited article states “Shipbreaking, or ship demolition, involves breaking up ships for scrap. Until the late twentieth century, ship-breaking took place in port cities in developed countries, including the United States. Today most shipbreaking yards are in developing nations (principally Bangladesh,China, and India), due to lower labor costs and less stringent environmental regulations that deal with the disposal of lead paint and other toxic substances. Few operating shipbreakers remain in developed countries.”
These authors go on to point out: “Shipbreaking operations, similar to shipyard work, involve welding, torch cutting, grinding, and abrasive blasting. Shipbreaking workers are exposed to asbestos fibers (a ship built in the 1960s–1970s can contain many tons of asbestos), welding fumes, and other toxic materials and heavy metals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), poly-vinyl chloride (PVC), lead, nickel, cadmium, mercury, copper, and zinc.” (Wu WW et al. Mortality among shipbreaking workers in Taiwan—A retrospective cohort study from 1985 to 2008. 2013 Am J Ind Med 56:701-708.)