Greenpeace has learnt that the CDR is inclined to use the deadly asbestos pipes made by Eternit in Chekka. Fact is that both white and blue asbestos cause lung cancer when inhaled. Numerous people have died from asbestos during the past years. Asbestos has been banned in most production processes in many European countries, in the US and in Arab states like Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It should be banned in Lebanon.
Alternatives are available.
But the Eternit management claims that they are too expensive and would lead to the factory's closure and the dismissal of hundreds of workers. This is not true. Eternit has the technology to produce cement pipes reinforced with steel, a much less toxic product than asbestos. Unfortunately, the owners and the management of Eternit seem to be driven by greed because asbestos is a bit cheaper than steel. Jacques Sarraf, has refused to even recognize that many industries are polluters.