A 17-page report on asbestos use and abatement in Bermuda which took more than three years to produce has been called "a total waste of time" by Shadow Health Minister Michael Dunkley.

The report, produced at the request of former Health Minister Nelson Bascome, outlines some of the properties, uses and health risks associated with the cancer-causing fibres. It states: "The Ministry of Health and Family Services is responsible for the regulation of matters related to asbestos removal in Bermuda... There is no legislation that specifically governs the removal or abatement of asbestos from buildings. The Ministry of Works, Engineering and Housing have responsibility for the disposal and have a storage facility for asbestos."

The report goes on to discuss a page and a half of options for asbestos disposal on the Island. The first option begins by discussing disposal to the US, then winds up exploring the option of burying the waste in a landfill. The second option also discusses burying the waste, however this time in an abandoned quarry, empty water/oil tank or under a golf course. Burial at sea has already been ruled out.

The third option, vitrification or glassification, is a chemical process rendering the asbestos harmless. "This method appears to handle small pieces and is a costly process," warned the report.

The final option was that of a foam solution sprayed directly onto asbestos fireproofing which dissolves the asbestos fibres into harmless minerals. "Further information is required on this process," said the report.

It gives a brief history of asbestos use in Bermuda, listing use in the construction of the Police Headquarters in Devonshire, Warwick Camp and other "military type buildings", as well as use of asbestos in Dockyard and in water pipes transporting water throughout the City of Hamilton. The report does not discuss asbestos found on the former US baselands as those materials have already been removed and placed into containers.

Half a page of challenges facing the Ministry regarding asbestos highlighted the lack of legislation on the issue and the consequentially limited means Government has to deal with those who do not comply with asbestos requirements.

The report outlines seven initiatives the Ministry intends to introduce to control and safely remove asbestos, including guidance notes being reissued to all contractors on the Island, surveys of all hotels and major commercial sites on the status of their asbestos removal programmes, and either amendments to the Public Health Act 1949 or new legislation to govern the removal and safe handling of hazardous waste from buildings.