Take flight and nail down the scope of SA’s killer roof problem: expert

If the government doesn’t have the money to replace asbestos roofs on SA’s low-cost houses, it should at least commit to an aerial survey to determine the scale of the problem and educate people about the dangers of damaged structures.

This is the view of architect and academic Dr Hannah le Roux, of Wits’ School of Architecture and Planning in Johannesburg, in the wake of the growing scandal in which the well-connected Blackhead Consulting allegedly siphoned off millions of rand in a tender to survey asbestos roofs in the Free State.

The company is being investigated by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for corruption. Bank records seen by investigators show the company allegedly made numerous payments to government officials at provincial and national level, and to the ANC.

“It’s a wicked technical problem,” said Le Roux. “Government doesn’t have the money to replace the roofs.”

Instead, she said, an aerial survey would help identify the scope of the problem, after which it could plot a way forward, including educating people about the health risks posed by damaged roofs.

“Township houses have radically changed and a lot of people have removed the asbestos sheets,” she said.

“That’s why the vetting process is so important. We need to know how many roofs there are.”

Le Roux said it was also vital to educate people on affordable ways to fix damaged roofs.

There are an estimated one million houses with asbestos roofs in SA, 367,000 of which are in Gauteng, Prof David Reece, head of the occupational medicine and epidemiology division at the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH), told Sunday Times Daily.

The roofs, corrugated sheets of a cement-asbestos mix, were mostly made by local company Everite, which is owned by Group Five.

Many of the roofs, which were standard on low-cost houses built by the government starting in the 60s, are now more than half a century old.

It’s a wicked technical problem. Government doesn’t have the money to replace the roofs.

—  Dr Hannah le Roux, Wits’ School of Architecture and Planning

While Everite said it no longer used asbestos in any of its construction products, the company supplied the asbestos roofing used in nearly 70% of Soweto’s low-cost houses and also supplied roofs for houses in Langa, in the Western Cape, according to a 1997 Mail & Guardian investigation.

That probe concerned a 1992 survey by the National Centre for Occupational Health, now the NIOH, which found asbestos pollution levels in some Soweto homes were 10 times higher than accepted safety levels.

While the study’s findings were later disputed, lead researcher Enoch Mogomotsi noted that few residents knew of the dangers posed by asbestos.

A subsequent 2001 housing department survey also found “that very few low-income households are aware of the potential dangers of asbestos”.

“They [government] need to let people know this is not safe stuff,” said Le Roux. “It’s not like lead or uranium. It’s like living with a silent threat.”

While there is no evidence that roofs that are in good condition pose any health risks, roofs with cracks and holes could release fibres and asbestos-laden dust into the air.

For this reason, it was essential to carry out a proper audit, said Reece.

“These roofs, put on decades ago, can decay and be damaged by weather like hail, so doing an audit is good. But it needs to be done properly. You cannot make a proper assessment just by walking around the house. An experienced person must examine the inside and outside.”

Reece said hi-tech ways of conducting such audits included aerial surveillance and cellphone apps.

Just living under such a roof is not a particular health hazard, but if it’s badly damaged that is another story.

—  Prof Jim Phillips, University of Johannesburg

Jim Phillips, visiting professor at the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) school of biomedical technology, agreed that well-maintained roofs did not pose health risks.

“Just living under such a roof is not a particular health hazard, but if it’s badly damaged that is another story,” he said

“The problem comes if roofs are removed improperly, especially with power tools, which expose fibres.”

While those most at risk were people such as builders working with asbestos, living in a house contaminated with asbestos fibres or dust also posed serious health risks.

Asbestos dust and fibres have been linked to asbestosis and mesothelioma, a tumour in the tissue lining the lungs, abdomen, heart and other organs.

“This is a relentless tumour with no treatment,” said Phillips. “It comes from long exposure to asbestos.”

Part of the problem for educators was confusion about various types of asbestos, with so-called “blue” or “brown” asbestos said to be dangerous, while chrysotile, or “white” asbestos, was labelled “good” asbestos.

Chrysotile accounts for about 90% of asbestos construction products, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“No threshold has been identified for the carcinogenic risk of asbestos, including chrysotile,” the organisation said. 

The Gauteng department of human settlements did not respond to questions.