The Fifth Seminar ‘Asbestos, an unsolved problem’, for Senior High School students, scheduled for Wednesday, November 12th, 2014 at ‘B. E. Vendramini ‘ HS in Pordenone, has been carried out successfully from 11 to 12 am.
The seminar was attended by three classes, accompanied by Mrs. Monica Moras, science teacher and promoter of the event, and a colleague of hers expert in environmental matters.
Councillor Gaspardo, our contact person for Pordenone and province, opened the meeting by introducing EARA onlus to the public and, soon after, keynote speaker Dr. Claudia L. D’Alessandro (Sanitary Department n. 6 for Western Friuli), expert in occupational diseases, particularly asbestos-related dones. Mrs. D’Alessandro held a half-an-hour speech on all types of asbestos and its mineralogical characteristics, applications in industry from a historic and economic point of view, risks related to powders inhalation, and especially serious diseases caused by this hazardous material.
The historian and writer Sergio Sghedoni reported on the European project ‘ABClean’ and on the possibility to draw on research projects applying on European funds, working all together in a team. All the students present at the seminar are involved in a specific science workshop on biological and environmental matters.
There were many students who then turned to Mrs. D’Alessandro and Mr. Sghedoni questions on the subject, such as:
– Are there cures for cancer caused by asbestos?
– After how long can an asbestos-related disease appear?
– How is asbestos disposed?
– Exposure to asbestos can cause cancer with a 100% certainty?
– How do we have to behave in presence of an asbestos manufact, especially if deteriorated?
– After how long people realized that asbestos was harmful and what has been done for remediation?
– Health care departments know of other types of hazardous materials such as asbestos?
Mrs. Moras, at the end of the seminar, received informative materials for her students, which undoubtedly will have the possibility to study this matter in a more detailed way.