Ban-Asbestos-India: Joint letter requesting the Hon'ble PM to Immediately Ban Asbestos

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Joint letter requesting the Hon'ble PM to Immediately Ban Asbestos

4 February 2010

The Hon’ble Shri Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister of India

New Delhi- 110 101

Dear Mr. Singh,

Immediate Ban on Asbestos

We are writing to you in light of the visit of Mr. Charest, Premier of Quebec to India with a 130 member trade delegation. As you are aware Quebec has a long and deplorable history of promoting asbestos exports to India even as it has banned the use of asbestos in Quebec itself (Ref. Annexure 1 - Letter written to Mr. Charest by scientists of 28 countries on the eve of his visit to India).

The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 introduced by the Member of Parliament from your party representing Maharashtra, Shri Vijay Jawaharlal Darda, in the Rajya Sabha on 31 July 2009 captures clearly the global stand on this issue:

The white asbestos is highly carcinogenic even the World Health Organisation has reported that it causes cancer. It is a rare fibrous material that is used to make rooftops and brake linings. More than fifty countries have already banned the use and import of white asbestos. Even the countries that export it to India prefer not to use it domestically. But in our country, it is imported without any restriction. Canada and Russia are the biggest exporters of white asbestos. In 2007, Canada exported almost Ninety five percent of the white asbestos it mined and out of it forty-three percent was shipped to India. It is quite surprising that our country is openly importing huge quantity of a product, which causes cancer. This is despite the fact that safer and almost cheap alternatives to asbestos are available in the country. Instead of importing a hazardous material, it will be better if we spend some money in research and development and use environment friendly product. In view of the above, there is an urgent need for a total ban on the import and use of white asbestos and promote the use of alternative material.

The International Labour Organisation, the World Health Organisation, the World Trade Organisation, the International Programme on Chemical Safety, the European Union, the Collegium Ramazzini, the International Social Security Association, the International Commission on Occupational Health all support a global ban on asbestos.

Even the Supreme Court of India recognised in 1995 the hazards of asbestos in the case of Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) versus Union of India and more recently, in 2009 the Kerala Human Rights Commission noted that “exposing Indians to asbestos is a human rights violation”.

Therefore, we call upon the Government of India to:

* Take steps to reduce, with the aim of stopping, its import of asbestos from Canada (mined mainly in the province of Quebec) and from all other exporting countries.
* Ban mining, manufacture, use and trade of asbestos in India.
* Ensure the passing of the White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill 2009 introduced in the Rajya Sabha in July 2009 (Bill No. XIII of 2009).
* Revise its stand and support the listing of chrysotile asbestos in the PIC list of the Rotterdam Convention.
* Ratify the ILO Convention on Asbestos.
* Take concrete steps to address the occupational and safety concerns of workers employed in asbestos related industries; ensure compensation for workers harmed by asbestos and support a just transition for workers losing employment due to a ban on the mining, use in manufacture, and trade in asbestos.

.
Yours sincerely,

Swapan Mukherjee

All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU)

9868890346; aicctu@gmail.com

H. Mahadevan

All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)

9818120885; aitucong@bol.net.in

Ashim Roy

New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)

9825027412; secretariat@ntui.org.in

S. P. Tiwari

Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC)

9810426475; tucc_cc@yahoo.co.in

Gopal Krishna

Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI)

9818089660;krishnagreen@gmail.com

Annexure 1: Letter of scientists from 28 countries to Mr. Charest, Premier of Quebec, Canada

Copies to:

1. The Environment Minister

2. The Health Minister

3. The Commerce Minister

4. The Finance Minister

5. The Mines Minister

6. The Consumer Affairs Minister

7. The Labour Minister

8. The Chemicals Minister

No comments:

Post a Comment

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

Ban-Asbestos-India

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Joint letter requesting the Hon'ble PM to Immediately Ban Asbestos

No comments:

Blog Archive

Footprints

Moments

Health Matters

Ban on Asbestos is a Must