$5 million to ship several containers of asbestos to the United Kingdom, a cabinet minister said yesterday.

And they could incur further costs if this asbestos causes anyone to become ill once it arrives there.

Environment Minister Pamela Gordon said she was looking to advance Bermuda's position at an upcoming meeting of the London Convention -- the body that regulates the disposal of hazardous waste.

However, permission for Bermuda to sit at the October meeting would have to be obtained first.

Meanwhile Ms Gordon said she had received a letter from the British Government which said it was prepared to accept Bermuda's asbestos with certain conditions.

"The Governor has offered his assistance so that we can contact the UK's Environmental Services Association,'' she said.

"They could provide Bermuda with contractors that specialise in asbestos disposal.

"But our difficulty now is that we have to justify why dumping at sea is no longer the most practical environmental option.'' Ms Gordon said the United Kingdom saw ocean dumping as the best practical environmental option for Bermuda since the Island lacked top soil, caves or room to store the waste.

But if Bermuda sends its asbestos to the United Kingdom, it will cost an estimated $5 million.

Additionally, the Island will be responsible if it is proved the asbestos made anyone living near the dump site ill.

Shipping to the United States, she said, would cost taxpayers between $3 million and $5 million but the cost of a possible class action suit if any American became sick as a result would be much higher than a similar suit in the United Kingdom.

Bermudian taxpayers have already spent $1.5 million to pack and prepare the asbestos.

"If we are able to justify that we can no longer dump the asbestos off St.

David's, we still have to satisfy the Basel Convention.'' The Basel Convention controls the movement of hazardous waste and its disposal. Both Bermuda and the United Kingdom would have to negotiate and sign a formal agreement first.

"Even if we can do all of that we are still liable forever if anyone gets sick,'' Ms Gordon continued, "although the costs would be lower to the country if we send it to the United Kingdom instead of the United States.

"The United Kingdom does not understand why we wish to look at other options instead of ocean dumping.

Asbestos to cost $5m to ship From Page 1 "Using other people's countries to dump our asbestos does not appear to the United Kingdom Government to be the most practical, acceptable solution,'' she added.

"Especially since we have already been given permission to dump the waste in the sea.'' There has been much criticism of Government's original plan to dump the 165 containers of asbestos into the ocean off St. David's.

The U-turn on dumping came after pressure mounted inside and outside the Island to stop the dumping plans.

Government wanted to dump 160 containers of asbestos -- which causes cancer if breathed in -- 18 miles offshore. The asbestos came from removal projects on public and private buildings.

But an estimated 200 containers worth of the material is thought to be in buildings on the former US Base lands on the Island.

Both the Progressive Labour Party and the international watchdog Greenpeace have criticised the sea-dumping decision and Government is currently considering other options.