Ban-Asbestos-India: Ban asbestos exports to India: Australian Senator to Canada

Monday, July 30, 2012

Ban asbestos exports to India: Australian Senator to Canada

Note: Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI)has written to Senator from Tasmania Lisa Singh urging her to ban asbestos and uranium exports to India. Gopal Krishna Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) Ban asbestos exports to India: Australian Senator to Canada Australia, which has banned the use of asbestos, should step in and ask Canada to halt the exports of the silicate minerals to India where it is widely used, a Labor Senator has said. Senator from Tasmania Lisa Singh, the first person of South Asian decent to be elected to the Australian Parliament and chairperson of an all-party group on asbestos, was on a visit to India recently where she met anti-asbestos activists. According to reports, Singh has expressed hope that Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government should make its views known to the Canadians. "I think that we have to really lead by our own example and really make it very clear that this is simply not on. I mean this is a developed nation, Canada knows better than this. "Canada won't use asbestos themselves but they are quite happy to export it to developing countries to you know, areas where they know they've got that open market because the safety regulations in those countries are not as strong," she said. "Now that is simply not on and I think Australia and other developed nations like the EU nations that have also banned asbestos, need to put that pressure onto Canada and make sure that they stop this absolutely appalling trade,”" she said. India is said to be one of the world's biggest markets for asbestos, along with China and Brazil. According to health experts, the prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses, including malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis. Quebec's provincial government recently provided USD 56 million loan to re-open a local ailing asbestos Jeffrey mine. The mine's white asbestos is regarded as lethal to use in Canada but it is likely to be shipped to India where use of asbestos is still widespread. Jeffrey had ceased production late last year but is said to be back in operation after the latest infusion of cash. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ban-asbestos-exports-to-india-aus-senator-to-canada/978722/0

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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

Ban-Asbestos-India

Monday, July 30, 2012

Ban asbestos exports to India: Australian Senator to Canada

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