“Asbestos Roofing” as “Housing Pattern” and Its Implications on Health of the Households in Sub Urban Area of Chennai

Background: Health implications of asbestos roofing are the first of its kind and there are no studies on it.

Objectives: To see prevalence of health implications of the household members related to the asbestos roofing and suggest remedies for the same.

Materials and method: Households with asbestos roofing in suburban area are enumerated down and 100 household are selected randomly and members clinically examined. Analysis is done in SPSS 21.

Results: Prevalence of Dermatological Pathology found to be 68%. Females affected more than males.(p < .001 ). Face & neck being the more common parts affected, with skin lesions(p< .01).  Presence of plants and trees surrounding the household and the presence of dermatological lesions are negatively correlated.

Conclusion: Housing pattern with asbestos as roofing has certainly effect on the health and is associated with skin pathology.

Key words: asbestos roofing, health implications, sub-urban area.