The real cancer factory

Standing as a considerable health risk, the former Malta Rubber Factory in Mriehel - sandwiched between the Farsons and Methode plants - is now littered with asbestos.

Asbestos is dangerous when it is dispersed into the air as very small fibres that are invisible to the naked eye. Breathing in those asbestos fibres can lead to asbestosis, a scarring of the lung tissue or even lung cancer. If the asbestos fibres are only weakly bound into the product or material, because of the fragility or condition of the product/material, then that increases the risk of fibres being released.

All the asbestos found on site was damaged and badly weathered. The material appears to have fallen from the factory ceiling, which is now one big gaping hole.

According to a study by the European Commission, there have been suggestions that asbestos exposure may lead to cancer of the larynx or of the gastrointestinal tract. Ingestion of asbestos (e.g. in contaminated drinking water) has been suspected as a cause of gastrointestinal cancer and at least one study has shown an increased risk from unusually high concentrations of asbestos ingested in drinking water.

Asbestos removal is only supposed to be carried out by licensed companies.