The recycling of end-of-life vessels is a complex activity that generates an enormous amount of hazardous waste, including asbestos-containing materials (ACM). Efforts by the Government of India to comply with national and international regulations and improved standard operating procedures are expected to lower the exposure risk of the workforce to hazardous substances, including asbestos. The current workers are likely to face lesser risks than did those exposed in the past. The present study assesses the health risks from past exposure of asbestos for those workers engaged in handling and removing ACM in ship recycling yards before environmentally sound recycling of obsolete ships was introduced in the early 2000s. Estimates were made of the number of workers exposed, and the intensity of exposure and these data were used to estimate the likely number of mesothelioma deaths in the future. It was estimated that nearly 15% of the total workforce engaged in ship recycling will suffer from mesothelioma which translates to about 4,513 mesothelioma deaths among the total of 31,000 workers estimated to be ever employed in the yards from 1994 till 2002. Recommendations are made for a practical approach to the safe handling of ACMs in Indian ship recycling yards.

报废船只的回收是一项复杂的活动，会产生大量危险废物，包括含石棉的材料（ACM）。预计印度政府将努力遵守国家和国际法规，并改善标准操作程序，以降低劳动者接触包括石棉在内的有害物质的风险。目前的工人所面临的风险可能比过去面临的风险要小。本研究评估了在2000年代初引入无害环境的废弃船舶回收之前，从事在拆船厂处理和移走ACM的工人过去接触石棉的健康风险。对暴露的工人人数进行了估算，以及暴露的强度和这些数据被用来估计将来间皮瘤死亡的可能性。据估计，从事拆船的全部劳动力中有近15％会遭受间皮瘤的折磨，这意味着从1994年至2002年，预计在船厂雇用的31,000名工人中，约有4,513例间皮瘤的死亡。在印度拆船厂安全处理ACM的实用方法。