of it before Greenpeace can get itself in place to cause an incident.

This newspaper has a long and solid record as a protector of the environment.

However, in this case we see no other sensible alternative.

Do we want to see asbestos dumped in the sea? Of course not. We believe that nothing should be dumped in the sea. But this is not careless or wanton dumping. This is not something Bermuda chooses to do but something Bermuda has to do. This is the only sensible solution to a problem which no one could have been expected to foresee.

Asbestos was used in buildings in good faith and is now thought to be marginally, very marginally, dangerous if inhaled by humans ... not nearly as dangerous as cigarettes. Government, in its wisdom, followed the lead of the United States where there was a good deal of fuss about very little.

Government then found itself with a large amount of asbestos, and a good deal more to come from United States and Canadian bases buildings, and nowhere to dispose if it.

We think that Government and the Environment Minister Pamela Gordon have gone to extraordinary lengths to find a solution acceptable to everyone from the purse string watchers to Greenpeace. Clearly there is no easy solution and no generally acceptable solution.

Large countries have deserts or other open land areas which they pollute with their waste, including atomic waste. Bermuda has no such area. But we did look seriously at the possibility of paying for our asbestos to be buried in the US, Canada or the United Kingdom. In other words, we were going to pay someone else to take our garbage at a cost of some $5 million. Even then we would not be rid of it but subject to long-term liability and insurance for any health problems which might develop near the overseas dump site. That is an unacceptable burden for a tiny country. As Pamela Gordon has said, "It's cost prohibitive.'' Bermuda's desert is, in fact, the sea around us. We are not planning to just take the asbestos out and scatter about the ocean. It will be contained and it will be sunk in very deep water. It is highly unlikely ever to surface.

Greenpeace says it will continue to campaign against such dumping yet it has provided no other sensible solution.

Government says it has not reached a decision and wants to do what the people of Bermuda want. That's admirable but governments are elected to lead. Take the asbestos out, dump it and let's get it over with.