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Mesothelioma attorneys Weitz & Luxenberg regretfully inform the public of the presence of asbestos in the black market. A ban by the government of Dubai on the sale of crocidolite and amosite asbestos has failed to prevent the sale of asbestos containing sheets of building material in the black market. Illegal sales of asbestos persist in Dubai despite penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment.

The head of the Environment Department at Dubai Municipality stated that he is not aware of the availability of asbestos in the black market. A manager at GTS Holdings in Dubai however, confirmed the existence of an illegal market for asbestos. He also spoke of a project in which GTS Holdings removed approximately 600,000 tons of asbestos from a cargo area of Port Rashid. Everyday, people approached the workers and asked whether they could buy the asbestos sheets that were being removed.

In order to strengthen regulations, Dubai has enacted a local law permitting officials to check if a survey and asbestos abatement have been performed on a building before granting a demolition permit. In addition, many asbestos containing products such as pipes and building sheets are illegal. It is difficult for the government of Dubai to enforce the laws against the sale of asbestos containing products because asbestos containing products tend to be cheap and appeal to those who wish to construct buildings at the least possible cost.

Studies report that between 70 and 90 percent of the homes in Dubai contain asbestos. Asbestos exposure can cause serious illnesses such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. Asbestos diseases have a long latency period and therefore can develop decades after exposure to asbestos. Currently, there is no cure for mesothelioma. Many people with mesothelioma die within two years of diagnosis.

About the author:

Jason Wentworth is an experienced paralegal and web designer. He works closely with the asbestos lawyers and mesothelioma attorneys of Weitz & Luxenberg in raising awareness to the dangers of asbestos. Weitz & Luxenberg is the leading asbestos and mesothelioma law firm in the country and offers free case reviews from its website at www.weitzlux.com.

Jason has worked for plaintiffs’ law firms for the past five years. His responsibilities have included blue booking briefs, filing briefs, maintaining case expense reports, website search engine optimization and loading website content. Jason holds a Bachelor’s degree in finance. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar and listening to music.