Ban-Asbestos-India: International Ban Asbestos Secretariat Seeks Closure of Asbestos Factories

Thursday, June 9, 2011

International Ban Asbestos Secretariat Seeks Closure of Asbestos Factories

Press Release

Bhojpur Awaits Time Bomb of Incurable Asbestos Diseases

0/6/2011/New Delhi:In a letter to Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister, London based International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has pointed out that Great Britain has suffered "country’s worst epidemic of occupational disease and death. This year, more than 3,500 people will die from asbestos-related illnesses including asbestosis, mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer in the UK." The letter takes cognisance of the "factories that manufacture asbestos-cement products have already been built in Bihiya, and Giddha, Bhojpur" and "additional facilities in Bihar in the near future". The attached letter was sent on 8th June, 2011.

In her letter, Laurie Kazan-Allen, head of IBAS has underlined that "These diseases are the result of hazardous asbestos exposures at work, at home and from environmental sources. There can be no doubt at all that the asbestos epidemic which is now being seen in Britain and other industrialized countries will occur in India."

The letter refers to two books published by IBAS namely: Killing the Future – Asbestos Use in Asia and India’s Asbestos Time Bomb which contain multiple images which depict the hazardous conditions in which asbestos-containing products are used in India. Both the books are available at http://ibasecretariat.org/ktf_web_fin.pdf.

In a significant exercise, the Chronology of National Asbestos Bans in 55 country has been compiled by IBAS along with the
Current Asbestos Bans and Restrictions world over. The chronology is attached.

Two of these plants have just been set up in Bihiya, Bhojpur, Bihar by Tamil Nadu based company, Ramco Industries Ltd.
The third one has been set up at Giddha, Koilwar Block, Bhojpur, Bihar by Tamil Nadu based Nibhi Industries Pvt. Ltd.

Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka an Erudite committee has been appointed to look into health and environmental hazards of the use of asbestos. The committee was appointed considering the world trends to abandon the use of asbestos due to their negative impacts. In a communication to us Dr Charitha Herath, Chairman Central Environmental Authority (CEA), Sri Lanka informed BANI, "We at the CEA are trying our best to study the matter of Asbestos and to take an appropriate action." Unmindful of incurable disease caused by asbestos fibers, Nibhi Industries Pvt. Ltd has proposed a plant in Sri Lanka too.

It is noteworthy that on 10th May, 2010, the project of Ramco Industries was discussed by the Experts Appraisal Committee (EAC), Industry of Union Environment Ministry. In the minutes of the EAC, there is explicit reference to "Health Management Plan for Mesothalimoa, Lung cancer and Asbestosis related problems in asbestos industries". IBAS letter is quite a timely warning for the Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Modi who has allotted lands for four asbestos plants without the application of scientific mind. This step of the Deputy Chief Minister reveals his colossal ignorance about epidemic of asbestos related diseases in the entire developed world.

Modi and his advisers are bringing disrepute to Bihar by ignoring "A Repeat Call for the Banning of Asbestos" published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a monthly journal of peer-reviewed research and news published by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services published in July 2010. The document regard first call titled The Case for a Global Ban on Asbestos is attached.

Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) welcomes the letter of IBAS to Bihar Chief Minister with copies to Sonia Gandhi, Dr Manmohan Singh, Lal Krishna Advani, Jairam Ramesh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Pranab Mukherjee, Dr Murali Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitli, Dr C P Thakur, Sushil Kumar Modi and Dr Pratima S. Verma, District Magistrate, Bhojpur, Bihar
amid the struggle underway to stop the three asbestos plants in Bhojpur district and additional facilities like the ones proposed in Visahali, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, West Champaran in Bihar.

For Details: Laurie Kazan-Allen, International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, P.O. Box 93, Stanmore HA7 4GR England,
website: http://www.ibasecretariat.org, email: ibas@lkaz.demon.co.uk, laurie@lkaz.demon.co.uk, Phone: + 44 (0) 208 958 38 87/
Gopal Krishna, Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI), Mb: 9818089660, E-mail: krishna2777@gmail.com,
Blog: banasbestosindia.blogspot.com, Web: www.toxicswatch.com

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, June 9, 2011

International Ban Asbestos Secretariat Seeks Closure of Asbestos Factories

No comments:

Blog Archive

Footprints

Moments

Health Matters

Ban on Asbestos is a Must