End the Trade in Asbestos Cancer!

International Coverage

2009.09.30: Mesothelioma News- Canada continues to mine lethal asbestos fibers
World Health Organization continues to condemn the use of toxic chrysotile asbestos and the mining of the lethal substance while Quebec actively mines the cancer causing product.Canadian provinces continue to allow LAB Chrysotile to mine asbestos materials known to cause fatal cancers.
http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2009/09/30/canada-continues-lethal-asbestos-fibers_200909302271.html

2009.09: Special Report: International. Asbestos production increases despite WHO opposition
The Lancet: Production levels of asbestos are not declining; and have stabilised at roughly 2·2 million metric tonnes a year, around the same level they stood at in 1960. Canada was formerly the world’s leading producer of chrysotile; and its continuing support for the industry has raised concern.
http://www.mdconsult.com/das/article/body/162734181-2/jorg=journal&source=&sp=N&sid=0/N/710999/1.html?issn=

2009.07.21: Settlement Reached For Cleanup of Asbestos Mine
A legal settlement allowing for the cleanup and monitoring on the nation's largest former chrysotile asbestos mine and mill in Vermont helps raise awareness of the prevalence of asbestos in society, says a New York personal injury attorney who concentrates in asbestos litigation.
http://www.prweb.com:80/releases/2009/07/prweb2652884.htm

Scientific And Medical Facts About Chrysotile Asbestos Released By The Environmental Information Association And The Asbestos Desease Awareness Organization
2009.06.20: The EIA and the ADAO today announced the development of the Chrysotile Asbestos Fact Sheet (CAFS). The EIA and ADAO concluded, along with the majority of scientific agencies, that there is sufficient evidence to support that all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile, are carcinogenic and are responsible for asbestos related lung cancer, mesothelioma, laryngeal and ovarian cancers.

http://medicespana.com:80/


2009.04.30: Scientists Declare All Forms of Asbestos Toxic.
Through the development of the Chrysotile Asbestos Fact Sheet (CAFS), the Environmental Information Agency (EIA) and the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization have concluded that chrysotile asbestos is a carcinogenic substance.
http://www.asbestos.com:80/news/2009/04/30/scientists-declare-all-forms-of-asbestos-toxic/

2009.05.05: Indians Angry At Canada’s Continued Promotion of Asbestos.
This happened in the wake of the shocking act of Canadian government to continue its promotion of the killer fiber by “a grant of $ 250, 000" in its current budget despite Health Canada report indicting the Quebec and Canadian government’s disgraceful support to the asbestos industry and the recent report “India’s Asbestos Time Bomb” revealing corporate barbarism of worst kind.
http://banasbestosindia.blogspot.com:80/2009/05/canada-continues-to-promote-asbestos.html

2009.04.26-27: Asian Asbestos Conference blasts Canada
The asbestos lobby led by the Chrysotile Institute has been feeding lies and myths to promote the white asbestos.
www.ngocn.org/batch.download.php?aid=6643//

2009.04.22: British Expert Accuses Ottawa of Suppressing Cancer Report
Globe and Mail: There are interests in continuing production of Canadian chrysotile asbestos, said Dr Trevor Ogden, member of Health Canada’s asbestos committee’s report, editor-in-chief of the Annals of Occupational Hygene and advisor to the British government.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090422.ASBESTOS22ART2244/TPStory/TPScience/Quebec/


2009.04.03: Gobe and Mail: Canada’s Asbestos Shame
Martin Mittelstaedt: It's not just that Canada is home to companies that sell asbestos abroad. The federal and Quebec governments actively promote it, spending tens of millions since 1984 to encourage the remaining markets, mainly in developing countries. Ottawa has even mobilized Canadian diplomatic staff, from Jakarta to Washington, as recently as last summer, to stand on guard against asbestos bans in the roughly 70 countries that still buy it from Canada. The biggest purchaser, taking about a quarter of Canada's output, is India, where it's easy to find workers using one of the most dangerous materials in the world clad only in T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops. Ottawa said it doesn't verify whether buyers follow Canadian-style rules when using asbestos, arguing that seeking such information would violate foreign sovereignty. "Anyone who says there's controlled use of asbestos in the Third World is either a liar or a fool," says Barry Castleman, a consultant who helped to advise Europeans in 2000 on Canada's unsuccessful attempt to overturn a French ban on Canadian asbestos. In July, the Canadian embassy in Washington sent a letter to the U.S. Senate, which was considering an asbestos ban. The letter conceded that "all forms of asbestos fibres, including chrysotile, are carcinogenic," but it maintained that its use can be safe if proper precautions are followed. The Senate ignored the advice and voted unanimously this month to ban asbestos.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/article791256.ece

2009.03.27: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IRAC) reconfirmed this week that all commercial asbestos fibers cause lung cancer and mesothelioma.
The confirmation by IARC – the world’s leading cancer research agency – that all forms of asbestos, including its most commonly used form of asbestos chrysotile, cause lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, and mesothelioma, leave no doubt that the prevailing medical evidence is irrefutable as to asbestos’ carcinogenicity.
http://www.asbestos.com:80/news/2009/03/27/mesothelioma-cause-reconfirmed/

2009.03.26: International Agency for Research on Cancer reconfirms asbestos dangers
Recent meeting of World Health Organization Research Group again reported that all commercial asbestos fibers - including especially chrysotile asbestos - cause deadly diseases and cited important new findings for women
http://www.marketwatch.com:80/news/story/adao-applauds-international-agency-research/story.aspx?guid=%7B4CCAED8F-1A26-4FB3-B981-552C75E59AA4%7D&dist=msr_1

2009.3.07: Eternit Italy bosses will stand trial in December
AP: An Italian judge ordered on 22nd July 2009 a Belgian man and a Swiss man to stand trial for alleged negligence leading to hundreds of deaths linked to asbestos plants. Prosecutors say Stephan Schmidheiny of Switzerland and Jean-Louis de Cartier of Belgium were key shareholders in Eternit, a Swiss construction company. They allege the two were ultimately responsible for the death of some 2,000 workers and residents from asbestos-related diseases.
http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsevents/newsfiche.asp?pk=1270

2009.03.03: Chrysotile Institute Retreats in france
A lawsuit for criminal libel brought by the Chrysotile Institute against the French asbestos Victims Organization collapsed when the Chrysotile Institute suddenly withdrew from the case. The pretences invoked by the Chrysotile Institute's lawyer bordered on the ridiculous. He stated that the defense was trying to hold a trial of asbestos and that his client was not willing to participate in the debate.
http://ibasecretariat.org/lka_vict_french_vict_gp_2009.php

2009.01.29: The Fatal (Canadian Asbestos) Phenomenon.
Die Zeit (The Times): Germany's leading newspaper rebukes Canada as the only western country which aggressively torpedoes every international agreement to limit the production and use of asbestos. This shocking policy elicits outrage in the European Union.
German - http://www.zeit.de/2009/06/Asbest

2009.04: Asian Asbestos Conference, Hong Kong, blasts Canada
The asbestos lobby led by the Canadian Chrysotile Institute has been feeding lies and myths to promote the white asbestos and our governments in the region have been falling prey to such campaign which is exposing hundreds of thousands of workers and community people to this known hazardous and carcinogenic. substance.
www.ngocn.org/batch.download.php?aid=6643/

2009.03.24: How much money is Canada putting aside for future asbestos claims?
Discussions are held in India about the growing public health problems in India caused by chrysotile asbestos, much of it from Canada. Even U.S based Dow Chemicals Company has set aside $2.2 billion to address future asbestos-related liabilities arising out of its acquisition of the Union Carbide Company. The discussions dwell on asbestos and corporate accountability.
http://banasbestosindia.blogspot.com:80/2009/03/round-table-on-shipbreaking-asbestos.html


2009.01.29: Brazilian Minister Bans Asbestos
The Ministry of the Environment's ban is another step in the long campaign to protect workers and society from asbestos. The minister pledged to continue his efforts until there was a complete ban throughout Brazil. He said that it was likely that the Health Ministry would be the next government department to ban asbestos.
http://ibasecretariat.org/lka_braz_minister_bans_asb_feb_09.php

2009.01.23: Canadian Exports of Chrysotile to India Must be Banned

There are no reliable statistics, or compensation, for Mesothelioma or other asbestos related illness in Indian workers. India’s use of asbestos has more than doubled in the past 30 years. Thanks to greatly increased industrial activity it is the largest importer of Russian and Canadian asbestos.

http://cancer-types.suite101.com/article.cfm/asbestos_related_mesothelioma_in_india

2008.11.14: What Happens to Canadian Asbestos in India?

"What's the difference between land mines and asbestos?" asks Dr Barry Castleman, author of a respected book on the dangers of asbestos. "A key difference, of course, is that Canada does not export landmines."

http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/deadly-cn.htm

2008.11.12: European Trade Unions want asbestos covered by the Rotterdam Convention
The European Trade Union Confederation accuses Canada of once again trying to form a coalition of countries to block the inclusion of chrysotile on the list of substances covered by the Rotterdam Convention. It’s unacceptable for chrysotile asbestos to once again escape the regulatory mechanisms for hazardous substances provided for by the Rotterdam Convention.
http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/dossiers/files/CES-Asbestos-press%20release.pdf

2008.10.27: Stop Canada exporting asbestos

The Economist: The reward for Canada lending its boy-scout reputation to this cause was that the other countries would "tolerate higher-cost Canadian producers" and thereby allow its asbestos industry to remain profitable, according to a ministerial briefing-note obtained by a researcher.
http://www.guidedlearning.ca/On%20Going%20Topics%20and%20Issues/Economics/Canada/Asbestos.pdf

2008.10.23: Canada’s hazardous hypocrisy: A curious liking for asbestos
The Economist: Asbestos risks have not stopped Canada from exporting large quantities of the mineral to developing countries, especially in Asia, nor discouraged the government from paying to promote its use abroad.
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12480452


2008.09: World Call of Conscience to Prime Minister Harper
150 scientists and organizations signed a petititon to Prime Minister Harper to stop blocking the Rotterdam Convention by refusing to put chrysotile asbestos on the hazardous material list. The Canadian Rideau Institute on International Affairs' report, Exporting Harm, by Kathleen Ruff, pp. 26ff
http://www.rideauinstitute.ca/file-library/exportingharmweb.pdf

2008.05: Canada is the only developed nation still producing asbestos

Chrysotile asbestos called a deadly threat by the International Labour Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Association for Cancer Research and many more health agencies.

http://www.lib.uwo.ca/programs/generalbusiness/asbestos.html


2008.03.27: Asbestos banned in South Africa
South Africa mined crocidolite, amosite and chrysotile asbestos extensively from the late 1800s until 2001. South Africa joins more than 50 other countries that have banned asbestos. Final regulations prohibit the use, processing, manufacturing, and importing and exporting of any asbestos or asbestos-containing materials.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/&articleid=335617


2008.04.10: Stop Exporting Asbestos! An Indian Plea to Canadians

While the Canadian Government takes great care to ensure its own safety against the dangers of asbestos, you’ll probably never hear them make too big a fuss about it — what with Canada being a leading exporter of the patient killer — it just wouldn’t be economical to draw too much attention to it. Please read this appeal from India for Canadian's to eliminate the use and export of Canadian chrysotile to the global south.

http://intercontinentalcry.org/stop-exporting-asbestos-a-plea-to-canadians/

2007.12.17: No regulated conditions for asbestos use in developing countries like India
Ottawa Citizen: Most workers don’t wear masks on the job and companies don’t uphold labour standards. Most asbestos-related health problems in India go undocumented. Dr Joshi.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story/html?is=e84067b8-1429-40a-b55f-0a0aca4da58&k=47051

2006.08.17: Asbestos lawsuits forced almost 80 US companies into bankruptcy

International Herald Tribune: To end the lawsuits, members of the U.S. Senate last year proposed creating an asbestos fund that would provide compensation to victims . The Congressional Budget Office estimated that claims might total $150 billion in the next 50 yaars.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/16/bloomberg/bxname.php


2006.03.30: Australians call for stop to Canada’s export of asbestos
Selling asbestos is illegal in Canada. However the Canadian Government sees nothing wrong in continuing to produce asbestos and to export the killer fibre. Most of its exports go to developing countries. Please sign the petition to protest against the Canadian asbestos trade.

http://www.cfmeu-construction-nsw.com.au/tacanadianasbestos.htm

2005: Call for an International Ban on Asbestos

American Journal of Industrial Medicine 47:471-474 (2005). By the end of 2004 national asbestos bans are scheduled to be in place in all 25 member countries of the European Union as well as Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, Uruguay, Honduras, Australia, Gabon, Seychelles, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. South Africa and Japan have also announced the intention to ban asbestos, and public health campaigns for asbestos bans have been under way since the 1990s in Brazil, South Korea, Vietnam, and India.
http://www.mesothel.com/asbestos-cancer/legislation/ban-asbestos/collegium.htm

2001: WTO - European Community rejects Canada's asbestos position

The Panel and the Appellate Body both rejected Canada’s challenge to France import ban on asbestos and asbestos-containing products, reinforcing the view that the WTO Agreements support members’ ability to protect human health and safety at the level of protection they deem appropriate.
http://www.wto.org/English/Tratop_E/envir_e/edis09_e.htm



2000: WTO backs French ban on Canada's asbestos goods.

The World Trade Organization, citing a large number of asbestos-related cancer deaths, has upheld a ban by France on Canadian asbestos. The asbestos industry in Quebec, which accounts for the employment of 2,500 workers, is valued at $224 million annually.

http://www.faqs.org/abstracts/News-opinion-and-commentary/WTO-backs-ban-on-Canadas-asbestos-goods-Asbestos-Corp-case-at-crucial-juncture.html

Canada's Quebec health experts are "a little gang of Talibans", accuses Quebec's asbestos industry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 25, 2009

Ban on asbestos mining leases not lifted as yet: Indian Minister of Mines

Canada's Quebec health experts are "a little gang of Talibans", accuses Quebec's asbestos industry

New Delhi/Ottawa: On November 24, 2009, Union Minister of Mines, B.K. Handique informed the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) that an S&T Project titled ‘Study of Pollution level in Asbestos Mines and processing plants in Rajasthan’ was undertaken by Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), a subordinate office of the Ministry. The Study recommended that subject to imposition of safeguards on pollution level in work environment, the ban imposed on grant and renewal of mining leases and expansion of mining may be lifted. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Handique said, recommendations of the Study have been examined in consultation with all stake holders. Some stake holders have suggested that asbestos mining can be permitted with appropriate safeguards. IBM in consultation with Central Pollution Control Board and Directorate General of Mines Safety has been asked to work out these safeguards which have not been finalized yet. At present the ban on grant/renewal of mining leases of asbestos has not been lifted. This might entail lifting of ban on mining of both chrysotile (white) and amphibole asbestos.

In 2008, Canada's $100-million asbestos industry exported 175,000 tonnes of chrysotile. Some of the biggest importers include India. Notably, The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 introduced in the Indian parliament states, “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 break 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.”

Medical experts working for the Canada's provincial Quebec government's National Public Health Institute (INSPQ) are "a little gang of Talibans", charges Bernard Coulombe, president of the Jeffrey asbestos mine, located in the town of Asbestos, Quebec.

Coulombe is hoping to sign a deal with investors to open up a new underground asbestos mine in Asbestos, Quebec in 2010. The present open-pit Jeffrey mine has run out of asbestos and is no longer operating. The underground mine is 90% complete.and would tap into a large new asbestos deposit, thus giving the industry a new 50-year lease on life.

The INSPQ opposes its own government's policy of increased use of chrysotile asbestos (the only form of asbestos sold commercially in the world today), citing increasing numbers of asbestos-related deaths in Quebec, particularly among construction workers. Coulombe claims that chrysotile asbestos can be safely used and that it has caused no harm to workers in Quebec since 1970. The INSPQ dismisses this view as lacking any scientific credibility, thereby jeopardizing new investment and attracting the ire of Coulombe.

The asbestos industry has not attacked the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Cancer Society, the World Health Organisation, the Canadian Labour Congress, who have all said that chrysotile asbestos must be banned. Instead, the industry has targetted Quebec public servants, who are unable to defend themselves and are vulnerable to political pressure from their employer.

Gopal Krishna of Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI), a coalition of environmental health, labour and human rights groups notes that Indian government needs to recognize that this is a major health crisis in India which is ongoing and still increasing in numbers every year. Workers and consumers in India are dying from asbestos-related diseases that were exposed anywhere from, say, 15 to 30 or 40 years ago and all Indians are being exposed daily in face of total absence of enviro-occupational health infrastructure.

"One of the favourite tactics of the asbestos industry is misinformation and bullying; these make a toxic combination," said Dr Fernand Turcotte, Professeur Emeritus of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval.

Fifteen health professionals , who work for Quebec public health agencies and/or are professors from the University of Montreal, Laval University and Sherbrooke University, recently issued a public statement challenging the misinformation put out by the asbestos industry and calling for an end to the mining, use and export of asbestos.

"People across Canada and around the world, who are trying to end the tragedy of asbestos-caused disease and death, owe a big debt of gratitude to the courage and integrity of Quebec's health professionals for blowing the whistle on the asbestos industry," said John Bennett, Executive Director, Sierra Club Canada.

"It is incomprehensible that Quebec's Premier Charest and Prime Minister Harper are supporting the dangerous nonsense put forward by the asbestos industry and rejecting credible scientific organisations, such as the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Cancer Society and the World Health Organisation, who have all called for asbestos to be banned," said Dr Kapil Khatter, President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

"We are calling on Premier Charest and PM Harper to do the right thing and put public health ahead of self-serving political games," said Kathleen Ruff, senior human rights advisor for the Rideau Institute.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Gopal Krishna, 9818089660, krishnagreen@gmail.com

Dr Kapil Khatter, (613) 864-9591, kapil1@sympatico.ca

John Bennett, (613) 291-6888, jb@sierraclub.ca

Dr Fernand Turcotte, (514) 389-1240, f.turcotte@videotron.ca

Kathleen Ruff, (250) 847-1848, kruff@bulkley.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Le Soleil, le 18 novembre 2009 http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/affaires/actualite-economique/200911/17/01-922620-amiante-une-politique-sans-suivi.php

[2] La Presse, le 16 septembre 2009 http://www.cyberpresse.ca/opinions/forums/200909/16/01-902224-cessons-le-mensonge.php

Ban on asbestos mining leases not lifted as yet:B.K. Handique, Mines Minister

Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) study on asbestos mining
15:13 IST
LOK SABHA
November 24, 2009

The Minister of Mines and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Shri B.K. Handique has said that an S&T Project titled ‘Study of Pollution level in Asbestos Mines and processing plants in Rajasthan’ was undertaken by Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), a subordinate office of the Ministry. The Study recommended that subject to imposition of safeguards on pollution level in work environment, the ban imposed on grant and renewal of mining leases and expansion of mining may be lifted.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today he said, recommendations of the Study have been examined in consultation with all stake holders. Some stake holders have suggested that asbestos mining can be permitted with appropriate safeguards. IBM in consultation with Central Pollution Control Board and Directorate General of Mines Safety has been asked to work out these safeguards which have not been finalized yet. At present the ban on grant/renewal of mining leases of asbestos has not been lifted.

UN headquarters to become asbestos free

Press Note

UN headquarters to become asbestos free

Indian Parliament, Courts, Govt buildings & media houses remain asbestos laden

BANI expresses grave concerns about the health & safety of Indian government officials, judges, parliamentarians & media persons

New Delhi-24/11/2009: The headquarters of the United Nations, based in New York City, will soon undergo a $2 billion extreme makeover. Plans for the massive overhaul of the UN campus involve removal of asbestos, a material once commonly used in a variety of building materials including fireproofing, tiles, and insulation. The work on the building will force some diplomats to relocate. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will move to a temporary structure. The UN's $2 billion renovation project is slated for completion in 2014. In order to show a leadership initiative for countries around the globe, the UN is making its buildings asbestos free.

Asbestos was used in 19th and 20th-century design of the buildings, its high time developning countries like India too stepped in the era of 21st century asbestos free design.

Exposure to asbestos is now known to be a contributing factor to the development of mesothelioma a rare form of cancer that affects thousands worldwide each year. Mesothelioma symptoms may not become apparent until many decades after a person has been exposed to asbestos.

Many mesothelioma patients lose their battle with mesothelioma only months after being diagnosed, with the majority of patients succumbing within 24 months of being diagnosed. Exposure to asbestos can also lead to lung cancer, pleural plaques, and asbestosis.

Earlier, President of the U.N. staff union, Stephen Kisambira had called a rare news conference to express concerns on behalf of U.N. workers that the asbestos abatement will not be carried out safely and effectively.

The matter is complicated even further because the UN, which is technically not United States territory despite its location in New York, has special legal status. This status would prevent workers or residents from bringing lawsuits against the contractors working on the abatement. If anyone contracts a asbestos realted disease which they believe is directly related to the renovation, they will be allowed to pursue arbitration but not litigation.

United Nations spokesperson Farhaq Haq has given an assurance that the abatement will be performed safely saying, “We will have another independent group that will monitor how the abatement process is carried out”. Architect Michael Adlerstein added that ATC Associates, an independent environmental engineering, health and safety specialist, will be “taking air samples several times a day at prescribed locations inside and outside the work area.”

Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) is deeply concerned about the health and safety of Indian government officials, judges,the parliamentarians and media persons who work and live in asbestos laden buildings. It is about time steps are taken to make their work and and residential places as safe as UN headquarters. BANI has witnessed asbestos structures in the premises of the Indian Supreme Court as well.

About Ban Asbestos Network of India
Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) is engaged in responding to public health crisis due to mining, manufacturing, use, and import of all forms of asbestos including Chrysotile. As part of a global anti-toxic activists’ coalition, BANI is fighting to ensure asbestos free India. Asbestos is a commercial term for six fibrous minerals of which chrysotile (white asbestos), the fibrous form of serpentine, is the form of asbestos which is mostly used now. BANI was founded by public health and environmental health researchers and activists in 2002. For more information visit banasbestosindia.blogspot.com

For Details: Gopal Krishna, BANI, Mb: 9818089660, E-mail: krishnagreen@gmail.com

Civil society groups welcome the Bill to make India Asbestos Free

Press Release

The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 in Rajya Sabha

Misinformation Campaign of “Safe & Controlled use” of asbestos condemned


New Delhi-20/11/2009: In the face massive asbestos exposure underway in India, recent ban on asbestos laden US ship, The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 introduced in Rajya Sabha and the ban asbestos order of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, environment, labour, human rights and health groups appeal to the Prime Minister and to all the parliamentarians to ensure that manufacture, use and trade of asbestos is banned in India.

There is incontrovertible evidence that creates a compelling logic for making India asbestos free to prevent an avoidable public health disaster facing our countrymen.

Advertisements in newspapers like The Times of India (20/11/2009) and news channels cannot hide the barbarism of the the asbestos industry. No amount of propaganda and public relations campaign can transform a poisonous and cancerous material like White Asbestos (chrysotile) into a non-poisonous material.

Almost every international health agency of repute including the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the American Cancer Society agree there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Even the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reconfirmed that all commercial asbestos fibers - including chrysotile, the most commercially used form of asbestos - cause lung cancer and mesothelioma. In addition, the IARC newly confirmed that there is sufficient evidence that asbestos causes ovarian cancer and reconfirmed asbestos causes laryngeal cancer.

The industry is acting as merchants of death even as workers and consumers are routinely being exposed to deadly asbestos fibers. Notably, worker protections and enviro-occupational health infrastructure are weak or non-existent in our country. The silence of the government in the face of workers and consumers who are sick and dying from asbestos-caused cancer is deafening. The parliament must act to stop the government from protecting the corporate criminals of the asbestos industry who are hiding behind manifest immoral patronage of the government.

The statement of objects and reasons of The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 introduced in the parliament reads: “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 break 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.”

Taking cognizance of the human rights violation involved in exposing people to killer asbestos fibers, Kerala State Human Rights Commission has noted that exposing consumers to asbestos fibers of all kinds including chrysotile constitutes violation of human rights in its order dated 31st January, 2009.

Civil society groups have consistently been drawing the urgent attention of the governments towards a serious unprecedented environmental and occupational health crisis with regard to unnoticed asbestos epidemic in the country.
Even if one asbestos fibre reaches the right place, it causes irreversible damage - leading to asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.

Thirty deaths are caused per day from asbestos-related diseases as per estimates based on US and European studies.

In such a context, Indian, Russian and Canadian government’s role in preventing the listing of chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous product under the Rotterdam Convention, an International Agreement that requires that importing countries be warned of the risks associated with hazardous products is condemnable. It is unconscionable that Canadian government knowingly exports a killer product that will kill thousands of people in India with the consent of the Indian government. As long as Indian, Russian and Canadian government continues to support, they would be and they must be deemed as one of the biggest violators of human rights on earth and unfit to be part of the rest of the civilized countries who have banned asbestos industry.

Human rights, environmental, public health and labour groups are shocked to note that instead of banning asbestos, the Canadian government uses tax-payers dollars and Canadian embassies to actively promote the sale of asbestos around the world. Working in tandem with the asbestos producing countries, Indian government has been making the asbestos products artificially cheaper to the detriment of its owns citizens.

Indian and the Canadian government must resist corporate influence of the chrysotile (white) asbestos industry and support the listing of chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous product under the UN's Rotterdam Convention as a first step at the next meeting of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention. And as a next step, initiate efforts to ban its mining, manufacturing and its trade.

About Ban Asbestos Network of India
Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) is engaged in responding to public health crisis due to mining, manufacturing, use, and import of all forms of asbestos including Chrysotile. As part of a global anti-toxic activists’ coalition, BANI is fighting to ensure asbestos free ship-breaking. Asbestos is a commercial term for six fibrous minerals of which chrysotile (white asbestos), the fibrous form of serpentine, is the form of asbestos which is mostly used now. BANI was founded by public health and environmental health researchers and activists in 2002. For more information visit banasbestosindia.blogspot.com

Chrysotile Asbestos killing people like old 'landmines'

Note: While in India, there appears to be a political consensus in adopting an Ostrich policy, Canada's ruling Conservative party and its Prime Minister Stephen Harper is defending the corporate crimnes of asbestos industry.
Asbestos killing more Canadians than ever; like old 'landmines'

The Canadian Press

An aggressive cancer linked to asbestos is killing more Canadians than ever before, even decades after the end of a boom that saw buildings stuffed with the toxic substance.

The number of reported new cases annually of mesothelioma shot up 67 per cent over a decade and a half -- from 276 across the country to 461 -- according to the most recent federal figures.

Experts warn that the upward trend will continue for years as Canada feels the residual impact of its asbestos boom, and will likely be far worse in developing countries that still heavily use Canadian exports.

Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma have only six months to two years to live.

In British Columbia, deaths from asbestos-related diseases have increased as much as 69 per cent between 2002 and this year, according to the provincial workers' compensation board.

Over that same period in Quebec, where asbestos is still mined, the death rate climbed 39 per cent.

Mesothelioma, a cancer that is difficult to treat, is linked to past asbestos exposure in more than 80 per cent of cases.

It killed 32 per cent more Canadians in 2005 than in 2000, according to the most recent national figures available from Statistics Canada.

And these numbers may only tell part of the story, as many health experts believe the death toll could be much higher.

Hailed the "magic mineral" for its excellent insulating and fireproof properties, asbestos was widely used in Canada in the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

But studies linked the material to health risks, including cancer, and it was eventually labelled a hazardous substance.

Kathleen Ruff, the former director of the B.C. Human Rights Commission, says most Canadians mistakenly believe asbestos is a health issue from the past.

She cites the numbers as proof that it's more present than ever before.

"It's like landmines -- it goes on killing for decades and decades," she said in a phone interview from Smithers, B.C.

"We need to recognize that this is a major health crisis in Canada that's ongoing and still increasing (in) numbers every year."

The effects often strike retirees long after they've inhaled the sharp, needle-like asbestos fibres.

In many cases, victims never even know they've come into contact with it.

It usually takes up to 40 years for diseases linked to asbestos exposure -- such as mesothelioma, asbestiosis and other lung cancers -- to emerge.

Over several decades, the illnesses have remained dormant inside many unsuspecting Canadians.

And for many, the latency period is now expired.

"What you have now are people dying from asbestos-related diseases that were exposed anywhere from, say, 15 to 30 or 40 years ago," said Larry Stoffman, an occupational health expert with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

Stoffman expects the number of deaths across Canada to keep rising every year for the next five to 10 years -- until, finally, the number of cases reaches a plateau.

The long-term trend may be more severe in poorer countries.

In 2008, Canada's $100-million asbestos industry exported 175,000 tonnes of chrysotile -- almost all of it to developing nations. Some of the biggest importers include India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"They're going to have just huge problems going forward," Stoffman said.

Due to health risks, asbestos is no longer used in Canada, but one variety of the substance -- called chrysotile -- is still mined in Thetford Mines, Que.

Ottawa has spent about $20 million since the mid-1980s to promote asbestos use. It maintains that chrysotile is "less potent" than other types of asbestos and insists that it is not dangerous when precautions are taken.

But the World Health Organization estimates that asbestos, regardless of the type, causes 90,000 preventable deaths each year around the world.

"It's like mentholated cigarettes were good tobacco versus the bad ones," Stoffman said of claims that chrysotile asbestos is safe.

"It really just repeats the kind of almost pathetic promotion of a product that the tobacco industry's well known for."

There is little political appetite to discuss the issue in Canada.

The Bloc Quebecois and the Conservatives, which represent the riding that encompasses Thetford Mines, support the asbestos industry. While in decline, the industry still employs several hundred people.

The New Democrats oppose Canada's asbestos business and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff earlier this year declared that the country should stop exporting the material.

That remark prompted a local Liberal candidate to resign.

"It's bizarre, (Quebec) is about the only place in the world, outside of maybe Kazakhstan and parts of Russia, where people actually think this stuff is OK," Stoffman said.

Within Canada, statistics from Quebec's workplace safety board show that asbestos-related diseases are the top occupational health hazard in the province.

Over the first seven months of 2009, illnesses related to asbestos exposure were responsible for 61 of the 104 reported occupational deaths in Quebec.

And the number of deaths tied to asbestos could be much higher.

An epidemiologist with Quebec's public health department says numerous cases are never reported because many workers suffering from these illnesses never bother to seek compensation from workplace safety associations.

Those suffering from mesothelioma, who often have only months to left to live, consider monetary compensation a low priority, said Louise De Guire.

She said miners aren't the only ones at risk of developing these diseases.

The number of cases affecting construction workers has increased while those in the mining sector have stabilized, she said.

BANI Seeks Ban on White Asbestos Export from Canadian Prime Minister

Press Release

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

For Asbestos free India, BANI Demands immediate ban on export, import & use of white asbestos

BANI Seeks Ban on White Asbestos Export from Canadian Prime Minister

The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 introduced in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament)

November 17, 2009, New Delhi –In the face massive asbestos exposure underway in India, The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 introduced in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament) and the order of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) appeals to the visiting Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Stephen Harper to put a ban on export of Canadian asbestos to India. He must act with effect to ban the asbestos mines in Quebec, the province where chrysotile asbestos (white asbestos) is mined in Canada.

It is unbecoming of Canadian to defend the asbestos industry and its barbarism unmindful of the fact that over 90% of Canada's asbestos goes to developing countries like India, where worker protections and enviro-occupational health infrastructure are weak or non-existent. The silence of Canadian government in the face of workers and consumers who are sick and dying from asbestos-caused cancer is deafening. Canadian government must stop protecting the corporate criminals of the asbestos industry who are hiding behind manifest immoral patronage of your government.

The STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS of The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 introduced in the Indian Parliament reads: “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 break 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.”

Taking cognizance of the human rights violation involved in exposing people to killer asbestos fibers, Kerala State Human Rights Commission has noted that exposing workers and consumers to asbestos fibers of all kinds including chrysotile constitutes violation of human rights in its order dated 31st January, 2009. BANI has consistently been drawing the urgent attention towards a serious unprecedented environmental and occupational health crisis with regard to unnoticed asbestos epidemic in the country. Even if one asbestos fibre reaches the right place, it causes irreversible damage - leading to asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma. Thirty deaths are caused per day from asbestos-related diseases as per estimates based on US and European studies.

In such a context, Canadian government’s role in preventing the listing of chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous product under the Rotterdam Convention, an International Agreement that requires that importing countries be warned of the risks associated with hazardous products is condemnable. It is unconscionable that Canadian government knowingly exports a killer product that will kill thousands of people in India. As long as Canadian government continues to support, it would be and it must be deemed as one of the biggest violators of human rights on earth and unfit to be part of the rest of the civilized countries who have banned asbestos industry.

There is incontrovertible evidence that creates a compelling logic for making India asbestos free. The asbestos exporting countries in liaison with the Indian asbestos industry in collusion with government has unleashed a misinformation campaign about the mythical safe and controlled use of asbestos products, unmindful of the fact that so far some 50 countries have banned all forms of asbestos, and are already using alternative materials.

Almost every international health agency of repute including the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the American Cancer Society agree there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Most recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reconfirmed that all commercial asbestos fibers - including chrysotile, the most commercially used form of asbestos - cause lung cancer and mesothelioma. In addition, the IARC newly confirmed that there is sufficient evidence that asbestos causes ovarian cancer and reconfirmed asbestos causes laryngeal cancer.

BANI calls upon the Indian Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Ministry of Mines as well to initiate steps for immediate ban on use, manufacture and trade of all forms of asbestos (including Chrysotile or White Asbestos).

BANI is shocked to note that instead of banning asbestos, the Canadian government uses tax-payers dollars and Canadian embassies to actively promote the sale of asbestos around the world.

BANI appeals to Mr Stephen Harper to resist corporate influence of the chrysotile (white) asbestos industry and support the listing of chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous product under the Rotterdam Convention as a first step at the next meeting of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention. And as a next step, initiate efforts to ban its mining and export for good.

About Ban Asbestos Network of India
Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) is engaged in responding to public health crisis due to mining, manufacturing, use, and import of all forms of asbestos including Chrysotile. As part of a global anti-toxic activists’ coalition, BANI is fighting to ensure asbestos free ship-breaking. Asbestos is a commercial term for six fibrous minerals of which chrysotile (white asbestos), the fibrous form of serpentine, is the form of asbestos which is mostly used now. BANI was founded by public health and environmental health researchers and activists in 2002. For more information visit banasbestosindia.blogspot.com

For further details: Gopal Krishna, Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI), Mb:09818089660, E-mail: krishnagreen@gmail.com, banasbestos@yahoo.com