Yucatecan construction workers say that the cement imported from Africa, specifically from Egypt, which is being used by some construction companies to reduce costs, mainly in the municipality of Kanasín, is generating a health problem among the employees using it.
There are 20 workers who apparently present a serious skin damage caused by chemical products contained in this cement.
This was announced by the leader of the CTM union in Yucatán, Bernabé Chan Herrera, who is requesting construction companies to use national brands that are non-harmful
“Two brands of Egyptian cement are being used, and the construction chamber and local engineers have said these shall not be utilized because, besides the skin damage, these two brands do not comply with standard quality requirements”, explained Bernabé Chan.
“The material recently used in the area of Kanasín to reduce the costs is excessivelly cheap compared to the national brands regularly used by construction companies anywhere else in the State, ” Chan continued.
It should be remembered that in June 2017 the price of cement had an increase of around 12%, so the construction companies began to look for new markets so that the impact of this situation would be minimal.
“If companies already purchased the necessary material to complete their work, they will have to throw it away, because our people is not going to risk their health for them to save money,” Bernabé Chan concluded.
For his part, Juan Moo Moo, representative of the 20 injured construction workers who ended up at the hospital to be treated of abrasions and burns, assured that there was an immediate response from the Delegation of the Ministry of Labor and Health to intervene and verify the quality of the materials with which they work.
According to the president of the National Chamber of the Development Industry and Promotion of Housing (Canadevi), Armando Valencia Castillo, Egyptian cement had been used in the construction industry in Yucatan during the first half of the year, especially in the construciton of social housing and middle level residential developments.
Valencia Castillo informed that the price of a 50 kilogram bag of this made-in-Egypt cement is 125 pesos, while the Mexican brands have a price of 214 pesos, and of course have a much higher level of quality.
Source: SIPSE
