| _version_ | 1866901972332838912 |
|---|---|
| author | Thuemler, Kim Robin |
| author_facet | Thuemler, Kim Robin |
| contents | <p><span>Asbestos cement (AC) remains one of the most prevalent legacy hazardous materials embedded within the built environment worldwide. While extensive literature documents its health impacts, regulatory controls, and removal practices, far less attention has been paid to the risks arising once AC enters waste streams following demolition or remediation. This article advances a novel conceptualisation of asbestos cement waste as a </span><span>dual-use material</span><span>, focusing on the under-examined potential for diversion, misuse, and intentional contamination outside conventional occupational exposure scenarios. Drawing on an interdisciplinary qualitative risk analysis, the study integrates public health evidence, hazardous waste governance frameworks, regulatory analysis, and dual-use research ethics to examine how systemic vulnerabilities in asbestos removal, transport, and disposal may enable harm that is deliberate yet non-immediate.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span>The analysis demonstrates that asbestos cement possesses a distinctive risk profile characterised by widespread availability, latent and delayed health effects, low immediate detectability, and substantial challenges in attribution. These properties differentiate AC from both acute toxic agents and traditionally examined dual-use materials, such as chemical precursors or biological pathogens. Through comparative examination with other legacy contaminants, including lead and persistent industrial pollutants, the article illustrates how intentional misuse can occur without overt violence, technical sophistication, or rapid detection. The study further identifies regulatory blind spots, economic pressures, and jurisdictional disparities that may increase susceptibility to diversion and re-introduction of AC waste into occupational, environmental, or informal construction contexts.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Importantly, the article avoids operational detail and adopts an explicitly prevention-focused perspective, emphasising early warning indicators, chain-of-custody integrity, and governance mechanisms rather than speculative scenarios. By situating asbestos cement waste within broader debates on dual-use research, environmental justice, and risk governance, this work contributes a new lens for understanding how hazardous materials can function as vectors of intentional harm over extended temporal horizons. The findings underscore the need to integrate security-informed thinking into hazardous waste regulation, strengthen international cooperation, and expand ethical frameworks to encompass non-traditional forms of dual-use risk.</span></p> |
| format | Recurso digital |
| id | zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_18236695 |
| institution | Zenodo |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | Zenodo |
| record_format | zenodo |
| spellingShingle | Asbestos Cement Beyond Abatement - Dual-Use Risks in Hazardous Waste Governance Thuemler, Kim Robin Asbestos Contamination Hazardous waste Environmental health Legacy pollutants Regulatory gaps Dual use risk <p><span>Asbestos cement (AC) remains one of the most prevalent legacy hazardous materials embedded within the built environment worldwide. While extensive literature documents its health impacts, regulatory controls, and removal practices, far less attention has been paid to the risks arising once AC enters waste streams following demolition or remediation. This article advances a novel conceptualisation of asbestos cement waste as a </span><span>dual-use material</span><span>, focusing on the under-examined potential for diversion, misuse, and intentional contamination outside conventional occupational exposure scenarios. Drawing on an interdisciplinary qualitative risk analysis, the study integrates public health evidence, hazardous waste governance frameworks, regulatory analysis, and dual-use research ethics to examine how systemic vulnerabilities in asbestos removal, transport, and disposal may enable harm that is deliberate yet non-immediate.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span>The analysis demonstrates that asbestos cement possesses a distinctive risk profile characterised by widespread availability, latent and delayed health effects, low immediate detectability, and substantial challenges in attribution. These properties differentiate AC from both acute toxic agents and traditionally examined dual-use materials, such as chemical precursors or biological pathogens. Through comparative examination with other legacy contaminants, including lead and persistent industrial pollutants, the article illustrates how intentional misuse can occur without overt violence, technical sophistication, or rapid detection. The study further identifies regulatory blind spots, economic pressures, and jurisdictional disparities that may increase susceptibility to diversion and re-introduction of AC waste into occupational, environmental, or informal construction contexts.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span>Importantly, the article avoids operational detail and adopts an explicitly prevention-focused perspective, emphasising early warning indicators, chain-of-custody integrity, and governance mechanisms rather than speculative scenarios. By situating asbestos cement waste within broader debates on dual-use research, environmental justice, and risk governance, this work contributes a new lens for understanding how hazardous materials can function as vectors of intentional harm over extended temporal horizons. The findings underscore the need to integrate security-informed thinking into hazardous waste regulation, strengthen international cooperation, and expand ethical frameworks to encompass non-traditional forms of dual-use risk.</span></p> |
| title | Asbestos Cement Beyond Abatement - Dual-Use Risks in Hazardous Waste Governance |
| topic | Asbestos Contamination Hazardous waste Environmental health Legacy pollutants Regulatory gaps Dual use risk |
| url | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18236695 |