Ban-Asbestos-India: New mineral policy comes under flak

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

New mineral policy comes under flak

DH News Service, New Delhi

Five days after the Centre released the National Mineral Policy, green activists are up in arms against the policys stand on use of asbestos.

Environmentalists alleged that the government is not only ignoring the toll asbestos takes on national health, but is also siding with the asbestos industry to promote their interest.

The green lobby has a point because of a controversial study being undertaken by researchers at the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad, that seeks to explore the health risks associated with asbestos industry.

But in a clear “conflict of interest” case, the industry is funding almost one-fourth of this study whose findings are crucial to determine if India can resists a proposed global regime for restrictive trade practices in this hazardous material.

The results are likely to be used in a global summit in October where India is expected to lobby hard for a free global trade in asbestos, sources told Deccan Herald.

Globally more than 40 nations have banned the use of white asbestos due to high health risks.

The research was prompted because of a proposal under the Rotterdam Convention to make asbestos trade more restrictive by categorising chrysotile as a hazardous material for which “prior informed consent (PIC)” was required for any trading.

While India, Canada and Ukraine along with a handful of countries are opposing this proposal, other countries are carrying out national studies to find out if the health risks associated with asbestos are manageable.

“Despite the pressure, the minister for mines Sis Ram Ola revealed in the new policy that India continues to use asbestos. The indifference towards occupational and public health is unpardonable,” says a member of Bas Asbestos Network of India.

Left-backed trade unions are also critical of the government for giving a free run to the industry. In a letter to top officials in the ministry of chemicals and fertiliser, the trade unions stated that NIOH study needs to be immediately scrapped as it will seal the fate of millions of workers handling asbestos.

April 15, 2008

Deccan Herald

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Ban on Asbestos is a Must

A study in a peer-reviewed journal had earlier estimated that there could be more than 6,000 workers affected by asbestosis (an untreatable lung ailment) and another 600 suffering at the minimum from asbestosis-related lung cancer in India at present. Occupational cancer from asbestos, the disease caused by emissions at the work place, poses an increasingly serious health problem. But the subject has attracted relatively little attention from industry, labour, public health bodies or the medical profession. Asbestos is one of the single largest sources of occupational cancer. Indian polticians are acting as if they are bonded workers of asbestos industry.

World Trade Center, New York collapsed Thousands of tons of asbestos became airborne.

Back in 1981, there was research coming out that Asbestos was cancer causing and this ad was in rebuttal to that research touting the benefits of using Asbestos. The text over the Twin Towers states, "When the Fire Alarm Went Off, It Took Two Hours to Evacuate New York's World Trade Center." I do not need to remind anyone of the images of September 11th and this ad. The copy below the ad goes on to mention all of the places that Asbestos was used in the World Trade Center. I can not not think of all of the innocent victims in the area that were exposed to all of the dust, smoke and inherent asbestos that was in the air after the buildings collapsed. The cloud of smoke went across the entire city and potentially exposed hundreds of thousands of individuals to asbestos. Hopefully there can be a cure or treatment for Mesothelioma before all of these potential victims are diagnosed.

Apex Court allocates meagre compensation for asbetsos victims

In 1995, the Supreme Court of India fixed Rs 1 lakh compensation amount and identified National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) as the final authority to certify asbestosis cases. Compensations are given through the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). Two workers in Ahmedabad Electricity Company diagnosed as having asbestosis by NIOH have been compensated by Gujarat High Court. Twenty-five workers in asbestos jointing and packing industry at Mumbai were compensated by the Special medical board of ESIC. The court ruled that the industrial units must maintain a health record of every worker up to a minimum period of 40 years; insure workers under the Employees State Insurance Act or Workmen’s Compensation Act and give health coverage to every worker.

Asbestos Victims

Every day estimated 30 deaths in India is under way due to the ongoing trade and use of white asbestos. 'Asbestos' in Greek means 'indestructible'. Greeks called asbestos the 'magic mineral'. Asbestos is a generic term, referring usually to six kinds of naturally occuring mineral fibres. Of these six, three are used more commonly. Chrysotile is the most common, accounts for almost 90 per cent of the asbestos used in the industry, but it is not unusual to encounter Amosite or Crocidolite as well. Though Crocidolite asbestos is banned in India, it can still be found in old insulation material, old ships that come from other countries for wrecking in India. All types of asbestos tend to break into very tiny fibre, almost microscopic. In fact, some of them may be up to 700 times smaller than human hair. Because of their small size, once released into the air, they may stay suspended in the air for hours or even days. Asbestos fibres are virtually indestructible. They are resistant to chemicals and heat, and are very stable in the environment. They do not evaporate into air or dissolve in water, and they do not break down over time. Because of its high durability and with tensile strength asbestos has been widely used inconstruction and insulation materials - it has been used in over 3,000 different products. Where do we use it? In India, asbestos is used in manufacture of pressure and non pressure pipes used for water supply, sewage, irrigation and drainage system in urban and rural areas, asbestos textiles, laminated products, tape, gland packing, packing ropes, brake lining and jointing used in core sector industries such as automobile, heavy equipment, petro-chemicals, nuclear power plants, fertilizers, thermal power plants, transportation, defence.

Make India Asbestos Free

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

New mineral policy comes under flak

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