Ban Asbestos Network of India National Alliance for Asbestos Free India
To
Smt. S Malathi,
Chief Secretary
Government of Tamil Nadu
Chennai -600 009
Email: cs@tn.gov.in
Subject-Need to Make Tamil Nadu Free of Cancer Causing Asbestos Fibers
Dear Smt. S Malathi,
This is to draw your attention towards the New Delhi Declaration Seeking Elimination of cancer causing all forms of asbestos including chrysotile from India which was adopted and endorsed by eminent scientists and doctors on 24th March, 2011.
This happened at a Round Table which was organized immediately after the conclusion of International Conference on "Emerging Trends in Preventing Occupational Respiratory Diseases and Cancers in Workplace" at Maulana Azad Medical College that expressed grave concern about asbestos related diseases like lung cancer in the national capital. The Declaration is given below for your perusal and immediate consideration.
This is also to draw your attention towards the criticism of Shri S.Bharathi Dasan, Secretary, ARULAGAM, Thongum Thottam, Ellappalayam, and Coimbatore regarding your government’s promotion of asbestos based building materials in the aftermath of Kumbakonam tragedy. In a letter to us, he has “strongly condemned this attitude.”
The delegates at the Round Table discussed the asbestos policy of Tamil Nadu. They discussed the fire accident at Kumbakonam in which large number of school children got burnt to death. They expressed their outrage at Tamil Nadu government’s order of replacing Thatched Roof with Asbestos Roof which strongly disapproved. The fire accident did not happen because of thatched roof. It happened because of mismanagement.
The delegates were of the considered opinion that Tamil Nadu government should rescind its order and pursue a path of alternatives of asbestos as a building material.
These delegates shared their views and gave their valuable hand written notes so that it can be used in a credible way while strongly recommending the need for immediate ban on asbestos to Government of India, State Governments and the relevant ministries.
Dr Alec Farquhar, Managing Director, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada said, “We now have around 500 asbestos cancer cases every year in Ontario from a population of 13 million. If you (India) continue on your current path, you will multiply our death count by 100 times. That would be 50, 000 Indian workers dying every year from asbestos. In Ontario, we learned that safe use of asbestos is impossible. I urge you from the bottom of my heart, please do not make the same mistake as we made in Canada. Stop using asbestos and use a safe alternative.”
Deeply disturbed by the state of affairs in India with regard to asbestos consumption, Professor Elihu D Richter MD MPH, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Israel said, “All form of asbestos kill. India should bury asbestos, not people. Here is a case for examining whether those countries which export asbestos to India are committing a crime against humanity, because they are engaging in willful neglect. India should not repeat the mistakes of going back some 70 years which will kill tens of thousands of workers and their families.” Richter called on experts in human rights to reframe the carcinogen as a human rights violation to ban asbestos.
“No matter what mis-information comes of Canada or the Indian asbestos industry about Chrysotile, there is no question that science has shown that Chrysotile causes asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. This is the conclusion of World Health Organisation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, and other organizations that have no biases except for protecting people’s health,” said Prof. Arthur L Frank, PhD, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, US.
Why does Canada apply strict measures domestically to protect the health of Canadians handling asbestos and yet exports asbestos to developing countries such as India, where the capacity to implement and monitor the application of similar precautionary measures is inadequate?, asked Dr. T.K. Joshi, Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy, an independent, international academy founded in 1982 by Irving J. Selikoff, Cesare Maltoni and other eminent scientists. The academy comprises of 180 internationally renowned experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health. The mission of the Collegium Ramazzini is to advance the study of occupational and environmental health issues and to be a bridge between the world of scientific discovery and the social and political centers which must act on the discoveries of science to protect public health. Notably, Canada avoids using asbestos in it was own country but exports it to India.
Prof (Dr) Qamar Rahman, fellow of National Academy of Sciences, Dean, Integral University, Lucknow & former Deputy Director, Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow asserted, “This is high time that Government of India should ban the use of asbestos in India. It has been proven scientifically that asbestos based articles such as roof ceilings, storage tanks will release fibers. The asbestos fibers will be the cause of exposure to our coming generations.”
“It is well known around the world that asbestos is hazardous to human health, and that there is no such thing as “safe use” of asbestos, just like there is no “safe cigarette”. The government of India would do better to aim for growth through development of safe industries, and to lower the prices of substitutes, rather than promote use of this hazardous substance,” opined Dr Yael Stein, MD, Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University, Israel.
Lyle Hargrove, Chairperson, Occupational Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada said, “I believe that it is real Black mark on my Canada for exporting ASBESTOS to India. We have cities devastated by Asbestos Manufacturing in the sixties and 70s. Workers were dying from Asbestos diseases and others were Sick including people that work in the plants, their family was getting sick as well. I demand that Canada quit exporting Asbestos to India and quit mining in Quebec. Asbestos is too dangerous to work with and I believe there is no safe level.”
The conference was organised by Centre for Occupational Health, New Delhi supported by Union Ministry of Labour & Employment, ESI, DGMS and DGFASL in collaboration with Drexel University, US at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi from 22-24 March. The conference was deeply concerned about asbestos related diseases and the alarming rise of asbestos in India. The Round Table was organized by Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI), which has been working for asbestos free India.
BANI has been campaigning for a asbestos free India and is assisting the Asbestos Mukti Andolan and National Alliance for Asbestos Free India.
In short, we request you to take steps on the following points
• Create a Registry of Incurable Lung Cancers and Mesothelioma besides a registry of asbestos related diseases
• Start efforts to decontaminate asbestos laden buildings including schools and hospitals
• Create a building registry of those buildings and products which have asbestos.
• Include environmental and occupational health study in the medical education of all the 300 medical colleges in the state
• Stop Tamil Nadu Cements Corporation Limited from manufacturing cancer causing asbestos based products
• Adequately compensate the victims of asbestos-related diseases, create a database of asbestos exposed people and victims as well besides providing legal and possible medical relief and taking preventive measures
We would be quite happy to share more details about the asbestos related incurable diseases.
Yours Sincerely
Gopal Krishna,
Convener,
Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI)
National Alliance for Asbestos Free India (NAAFI)
Mb: 09818089660, 07739308480
Email:krishna2777@gmail.com,
Blog:banasbestosindia.blogspot.com
New Delhi Declaration
Seeking Elimination of all forms of Asbestos including Chrysotile from India
Date: 24 March, 2011
Recalling the Ban Asbestos Resolution of 2002, WHO Resolution of 2005 and ILO Resolution of 2006 seeking elimination of future use of asbestos of all forms, in the face of massive asbestos exposure underway in India;
Taking note of 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 banning the use of asbestos in schools;
Considering the anti asbestos movement against 12 proposed asbestos plants in Bihar in face of massive people’s resistance;
Outraged at the Union of India’s Budget 2011-12’s callous reference to asbestos by including it under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to cover ‘unorganized sector workers in hazardous mining and associated industries like asbestos etc’ and on the other hand Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister’s Budget is allocating land for 4 new asbestos plants;
Recognising the fact that enviro-occupational health infrastructure in India is weak or non-existent in the face of workers and consumers who are sick and dying from asbestos-caused cancer and other related diseases;
Endorsing The STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS of The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 introduced in the Indian Parliament that 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 (roofing material) and break (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.”
Appreciating Supreme Court of India’s order of 21st January, 2011 that takes cognizance of the above mentioned Bill and the resolutions of ILO and WHO and seeks government to take immediate preventive steps;
Taking cognizance of the human rights violation involved in exposing people to killer asbestos fibers and how even if few asbestos fibre reach the right places, it causes irreversible damage leading to asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma;
Considering Government of India’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 unbecoming of a nation of India’s stature. It is unconscionable that the government knowingly allows trades in a killer product that will cause death of hundreds of thousands of people in India in general and in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Bihar and Rajasthan in particular and elsewhere in the world;
Reminding the Government of India that there is incontrovertible evidence that creates a compelling logic for making India asbestos free;
Condemning the asbestos exporting countries liaison with the Indian asbestos industry to which Government is turning a blind eye who have unleashed a misinformation campaign about controlled use of asbestos products which is a fantasy;
Disapproving Ministry of Environment & Forests Experts Appraisal Committee on Industry for approving environmental clearance of asbestos plants;
Asserting the fact that so far some 55 countries have banned all forms of asbestos, and are already using alternative materials;
Underlining that 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, IARC newly confirmed that there is sufficient evidence that asbestos causes ovarian cancer and reconfirmed asbestos causes laryngeal cancer;
We urge the Government to adequately compensate the victims of asbestos-related diseases, create a database of asbestos exposed people and victims as well besides providing legal and possible medical relief and taking preventive measures. We call on the government to create a mesothelioma registry and a building registry of those facilities which have asbestos. We seek inclusion of environmental and occupational health study in the medical education of all the 300 medical colleges in India
We recommend that the Government should start efforts to decontaminate asbestos laden buildings including schools and hospitals
We express shock at the instance countries like Canada using tax-payers money and Canadian embassies to actively promote the sale of asbestos around the world;
We appeal to the Government of India to put a ban on export, import, manufacturing, use and mining of all forms of asbestos including chrysotile (white) in India.
We call upon the Government of India, State Governments in general and Bihar Government in Particular besides Indian Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Ministry of Mines to initiate steps for an immediate ban on use, manufacture and trade of all forms of asbestos (including Chrysotile or White Asbestos).
Endorsed by:
Prof (Dr) Arthur Frank, Professor, Chair: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, US, Email- alf13@drexel.edu
Dr Aleck Farquhar, Managing Director, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada, E-mail- afarquhar@ohcow.on.ca
Professor Elihu D Richter MD MPH, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Israel, E-mail-elihudrichter@gmail.com
Dr Yael Stein, MD, Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University, Israel, E-mail- stein444@gmail.com
Dr Lyle Hargrove, Chairperson, Occupational Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada, E-mail- lyle.hargrove@gmail.com
Prof (Dr) Qamar Rahman, Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, India & former Deputy Director, Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow E-mail- qamar_15@sify.com
Dr. T.K. Joshi, Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy, E-mail- kantjoshi@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Drive towards ban gathers pace
The drive to ban the asbestos cement industry is slowly gaining momentum but not without its usual obstacles.
Despite being banned in numerous countries for its toxic side effects and carcinogenic properties, the asbestos cement product manufacturers are still pushing for widespread usage of this building material in building large-scale low cost rural development here in India.
Asbestos cement products and their manufacturing technology today, according to their manufacturers are amongst the most eco-friendly and safe technologies but a survey conducted a few years ago showed that imported asbestos which was widely used in India, came without adequate protections for the workers who then proceeded to use to make asbestos cement products.
In India the workers slice open the bags of Canadian asbestos with knives, then shaking the bags into troughs and mixing it with cement to make piping, covering them in asbestos dust with no precautions in place.
Studies have shown that once the cement sheets are made, the discharge from the asbestos content is not as extensive but since in India, protection measures and policies for the labourers are not in place, they directly exposing themselves to asbestos causes a lot of long term damage to the labourers’ health.
The government research has tried to research into alternative vegetable fibres and wastes as reinforcements for fibre-cements continue. They have developed roofing tiles and blocks using coir fibre and cement and recently work, which has been sponsored by the agriculture ministry, has begun on developing cement building materials incorporating by-products of oilseeds, pulses, and maize.
According to the industry participants these non-mineral fibres were not able to withstand the heat or pressure of the cement pipe manufacturing process, nor have they met the desired quality standards.
Moreover, their availability in huge commercial quantities is not possible without serious negative effects on other sectors of the economy or the environment.
The industry also campaigns on the fact that many developing nations are in the process of building and expanding their water distribution and sewerage networks along with building extensive low cost rural housing schemes. This process is critical to the development of society along with the basic quality of life of the citizens.
Championing this cause further, the manufacturers say to construct a decent shelter; pipe borne potable water; drainage and waste disposal systems and irrigation facilities for developing countries making the use of asbestos cement products an obvious choice for these nations.
Despite such reasoning, the market share of these pipes has dropped drastically from 35 per cent to 3 per cent in the last few years.
Despite numerous research studies submitted to the government, the government has yet to ban this metal. Various countries including Poland, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Chile among others have banned this metal.
In countries like Germany, even the demolishing of old buildings is cause for the concern for the government due to the additional asbestos that it releases into the environment.
Contrarily the Indian government has lowered import duties for asbestos by 68 per cent between 1995-2000, giving asbestos imports a decided advantage over polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibres, its immediate competitor, whose duties are at about the levels that asbestos was in 1995.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/economic-reformspriority-for-upa-ii/129814/
Despite being banned in numerous countries for its toxic side effects and carcinogenic properties, the asbestos cement product manufacturers are still pushing for widespread usage of this building material in building large-scale low cost rural development here in India.
Asbestos cement products and their manufacturing technology today, according to their manufacturers are amongst the most eco-friendly and safe technologies but a survey conducted a few years ago showed that imported asbestos which was widely used in India, came without adequate protections for the workers who then proceeded to use to make asbestos cement products.
In India the workers slice open the bags of Canadian asbestos with knives, then shaking the bags into troughs and mixing it with cement to make piping, covering them in asbestos dust with no precautions in place.
Studies have shown that once the cement sheets are made, the discharge from the asbestos content is not as extensive but since in India, protection measures and policies for the labourers are not in place, they directly exposing themselves to asbestos causes a lot of long term damage to the labourers’ health.
The government research has tried to research into alternative vegetable fibres and wastes as reinforcements for fibre-cements continue. They have developed roofing tiles and blocks using coir fibre and cement and recently work, which has been sponsored by the agriculture ministry, has begun on developing cement building materials incorporating by-products of oilseeds, pulses, and maize.
According to the industry participants these non-mineral fibres were not able to withstand the heat or pressure of the cement pipe manufacturing process, nor have they met the desired quality standards.
Moreover, their availability in huge commercial quantities is not possible without serious negative effects on other sectors of the economy or the environment.
The industry also campaigns on the fact that many developing nations are in the process of building and expanding their water distribution and sewerage networks along with building extensive low cost rural housing schemes. This process is critical to the development of society along with the basic quality of life of the citizens.
Championing this cause further, the manufacturers say to construct a decent shelter; pipe borne potable water; drainage and waste disposal systems and irrigation facilities for developing countries making the use of asbestos cement products an obvious choice for these nations.
Despite such reasoning, the market share of these pipes has dropped drastically from 35 per cent to 3 per cent in the last few years.
Despite numerous research studies submitted to the government, the government has yet to ban this metal. Various countries including Poland, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Chile among others have banned this metal.
In countries like Germany, even the demolishing of old buildings is cause for the concern for the government due to the additional asbestos that it releases into the environment.
Contrarily the Indian government has lowered import duties for asbestos by 68 per cent between 1995-2000, giving asbestos imports a decided advantage over polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibres, its immediate competitor, whose duties are at about the levels that asbestos was in 1995.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/economic-reformspriority-for-upa-ii/129814/
Friday, March 25, 2011
“India should bury asbestos, not people”
Press Release
“India should bury asbestos, not people”
Medical Scientists Adopt & Endorse New Delhi Declaration Seeking Elimination of Chrysotile (White) Asbestos
New Delhi/24 March 2011: Sounding the alarm bells for Indians, Dr Alec Farquhar, Managing Director, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada said, “We now have around 500 asbestos cancer cases every year in Ontario from a population of 13 million. If you (India) continue on your current path, you will multiply our death count by 100 times. That would be 50, 000 Indian workers dying every year from asbestos. In Ontario, we learned that safe use of asbestos is impossible. I urge you from the bottom of my heart, please do not make the same mistake as we made in Canada. Stop using asbestos and use a safe alternative.”
Deeply disturbed by the state of affairs in India with regard to asbestos consumption, Professor Elihu D Richter MD MPH, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Israel said, “All form of asbestos kill. India should bury asbestos, not people. Here is a case for examining whether those countries which export asbestos to India are committing a crime against humanity, because they are engaging in willful neglect. India should not repeat the mistakes of going back some 70 years which will kill tens of thousands of workers and their families.” Richter called on experts in human rights to reframe the carcinogen as a human rights violation to ban asbestos.
“No matter what mis-information comes of Canada or the Indian asbestos industry about Chrysotile, there is no question that science has shown that Chrysotile causes asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. This is the conclusion of World Health Organisation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, and other organizations that have no biases except for protecting people’s health,” said Prof. Arthur L Frank,PhD, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, US.
Why does Canada apply strict measures domestically to protect the health of Canadians handling asbestos and yet exports asbestos to developing countries such as India, where the capacity to implement and monitor the application of similar precautionary measures is inadequate?, asked Dr. T.K. Joshi, Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy, an independent, international academy founded in 1982 by Irving J. Selikoff, Cesare Maltoni and other eminent scientists. The academy comprises of 180 internationally renowned experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health. The mission of the Collegium Ramazzini is to advance the study of occupational and environmental health issues and to be a bridge between the world of scientific discovery and the social and political centers which must act on the discoveries of science to protect public health.
Prof (Dr) Qamar Rahman, fellow of National Academy of Sciences, Dean, Integral University, Lucknow & former Deputy Director, Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow asserted, “This is high time that Government of India should ban the use of asbestos in India. It has been proven scientifically that asbestos based articles such as roof ceilings, storage tanks will release fibers. The asbestos fibers will be the cause of exposure to our coming generations.”
“It is well known around the world that asbestos is hazardous to human health, and that there is no such thing as “safe use” of asbestos, just like there is no “safe cigarette”. The government of India would do better to aim for growth through development of safe industries, and to lower the prices of substitutes, rather than promote use of this hazardous substance,” opined Dr Yael Stein, MD, Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University, Israel.
Lyle Hargrove, Chairperson, Occupational Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada said, “I believe that it is real Black mark on my Canada for exporting ASBESTOS to India. We have cities devastated by Asbestos Manufacturing in the sixties and 70s. Workers were dying from Asbestos diseases and others were Sick including people that work in the plants, their family was getting sick as well. I demand that Canada quit exprting Asbestos to India and quit mining in Quebec. Asbestos is too dangerous to work with and I believe there is no safe level.”
New Delhi Declaration Seeking Elimination of all forms of asbestos including chrysotile from India was adopted and endorsed by eminent scientists and doctors on 24th March, 2011 at a Round Table which happened immediately after the conclusion of International Conference on "Emerging Trends in Preventing Occupational Respiratory Diseases and Cancers in Workplace". The Declaration is given below.
The delegates at the Round Table took stock of the Ban Asbestos Movement in Bihar, reference to asbestos in the Union Budget, land allot for asbestos plants in Bihar, promotion of asbestos in Tamil Nadu and Odisha and other states, the regressive proposal by Indian Bureau of Mines at the behest of chrysotile asbestos miners to lift the existing ban on asbestos mining in India and the and Ban White Asbestos Bill.
These delegates shared their considered views and gave their valuable hand written notes so that it can be used in a credible way while strongly recommending the need for immediate ban on asbestos to Government of India, State Governments and the relevant ministries.
The conference was organised by Centre for Occupational Health, New Delhi supported by Union Ministry of Labour & Employment, ESI, DGMS and DGFASL in collaboration with Drexel University, US at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi from 22-24 March. The conference was deeply concerned about asbestos related diseases and the alarming rise of asbestos in India.
The Round Table was organized by Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI), which has been working for asbestos free India. BANI has been campaigning for a asbestos free India and is assisting the Asbestos Mukti Andolan in Bihar.
For Details: Gopal Krishna, Convener, Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI)/Asbestos Mukti Andolan, Bihar Mb: 09818089660, 07739308480 Email:krishna2777@gmail.com, Blog:banasbestosindia.blogspot.com
New Delhi Declaration
Seeking Elimination of all forms of Asbestos including Chrysotile from India
Date: 24 March, 2011
Recalling the Ban Asbestos Resolution of 2002, WHO Resolution of 2005 and ILO Resolution of 2006 seeking elimination of future use of asbestos of all forms, in the face of massive asbestos exposure underway in India;
Taking note of 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 banning the use of asbestos in schools;
Considering the anti asbestos movement against 12 proposed asbestos plants in Bihar in face of massive people’s resistance;
Outraged at the Union of India’s Budget 2011-12’s callous reference to asbestos by including it under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to cover ‘unorganized sector workers in hazardous mining and associated industries like asbestos etc’ and on the other hand Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister’s Budget is allocating land for 4 new asbestos plants;
Recognising the fact that enviro-occupational health infrastructure in India is weak or non-existent in the face of workers and consumers who are sick and dying from asbestos-caused cancer and other related diseases;
Endorsing The STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS of The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 introduced in the Indian Parliament that 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 (roofing material) and break (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.”
Appreciating Supreme Court of India’s order of 21st January, 2011 that takes cognizance of the above mentioned Bill and the resolutions of ILO and WHO and seeks government to take immediate preventive steps;
Taking cognizance of the human rights violation involved in exposing people to killer asbestos fibers and how even if few asbestos fibre reach the right places, it causes irreversible damage - leading to asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma;
Considering Government of India’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 unbecoming of a nation of India’s stature. It is unconscionable that the government knowingly allows trades in a killer product that will cause death of hundreds of thousands of people in India in general and in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Bihar and Rajasthan in particular and elsewhere in the world;
Reminding the Government of India that there is incontrovertible evidence that creates a compelling logic for making India asbestos free;
Condemning the asbestos exporting countries liaison with the Indian asbestos industry to which Government is turning a blind eye who have unleashed a misinformation campaign about controlled use of asbestos products which is a fantasy;
Disapproving Ministry of Environment & Forests Experts Appraisal Committee on Industry for approving environmental clearance of asbestos plants;
Asserting the fact that so far some 55 countries have banned all forms of asbestos, and are already using alternative materials;
Underlining that 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, IARC newly confirmed that there is sufficient evidence that asbestos causes ovarian cancer and reconfirmed asbestos causes laryngeal cancer;
We urge the Government to adequately compensate the victims of asbestos-related diseases, create a database of asbestos exposed people and victims as well as besides providing legal and possible medical relief and taking preventive measures. We call on the government to create a mesothelioma registry and a building registry of those facilities which have asbestos. We seek inclusion of environmental and occupational health study in the medical education of all the 300 medical colleges in India
We recommend that the Government should start efforts to decontaminate asbestos laden buildings including schools and hospitals
We express shock at the instance countries like Canada using tax-payers money and Canadian embassies to actively promote the sale of asbestos around the world;
We appeal to the Government of India to put a ban on export, import, manufacturing, use and mining of all forms of asbestos including chrysotile (white) in India.
We call upon the Government of India, State Governments in general and Bihar Government in Particular besides Indian Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Ministry of Mines to initiate steps for an immediate ban on use, manufacture and trade of all forms of asbestos (including Chrysotile or White Asbestos).
Endorsed by:
Prof (Dr) Arthur Frank, Professor, Chair: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, US, Email- alf13@drexel.edu
Dr Aleck Farquhar, Managing Director, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada, E-mail- afarquhar@ohcow.on.ca
Professor Elihu D Richter MD MPH, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Israel, E-mail-elihudrichter@gmail.com
Dr Yael Stein, MD, Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University, Israel, E-mail- stein444@gmail.com
Dr Lyle Hargrove, Chairperson, Occupational Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada, E-mail- lyle.hargrove@gmail.com
Prof (Dr) Qamar Rahman, Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, India & former Deputy Director, Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow E-mail- qamar_15@sify.com
Dr. T.K. Joshi, Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy, E-mail- kantjoshi@gmail.com
“India should bury asbestos, not people”
Medical Scientists Adopt & Endorse New Delhi Declaration Seeking Elimination of Chrysotile (White) Asbestos
New Delhi/24 March 2011: Sounding the alarm bells for Indians, Dr Alec Farquhar, Managing Director, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada said, “We now have around 500 asbestos cancer cases every year in Ontario from a population of 13 million. If you (India) continue on your current path, you will multiply our death count by 100 times. That would be 50, 000 Indian workers dying every year from asbestos. In Ontario, we learned that safe use of asbestos is impossible. I urge you from the bottom of my heart, please do not make the same mistake as we made in Canada. Stop using asbestos and use a safe alternative.”
Deeply disturbed by the state of affairs in India with regard to asbestos consumption, Professor Elihu D Richter MD MPH, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Israel said, “All form of asbestos kill. India should bury asbestos, not people. Here is a case for examining whether those countries which export asbestos to India are committing a crime against humanity, because they are engaging in willful neglect. India should not repeat the mistakes of going back some 70 years which will kill tens of thousands of workers and their families.” Richter called on experts in human rights to reframe the carcinogen as a human rights violation to ban asbestos.
“No matter what mis-information comes of Canada or the Indian asbestos industry about Chrysotile, there is no question that science has shown that Chrysotile causes asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. This is the conclusion of World Health Organisation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, and other organizations that have no biases except for protecting people’s health,” said Prof. Arthur L Frank,PhD, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, US.
Why does Canada apply strict measures domestically to protect the health of Canadians handling asbestos and yet exports asbestos to developing countries such as India, where the capacity to implement and monitor the application of similar precautionary measures is inadequate?, asked Dr. T.K. Joshi, Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy, an independent, international academy founded in 1982 by Irving J. Selikoff, Cesare Maltoni and other eminent scientists. The academy comprises of 180 internationally renowned experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health. The mission of the Collegium Ramazzini is to advance the study of occupational and environmental health issues and to be a bridge between the world of scientific discovery and the social and political centers which must act on the discoveries of science to protect public health.
Prof (Dr) Qamar Rahman, fellow of National Academy of Sciences, Dean, Integral University, Lucknow & former Deputy Director, Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow asserted, “This is high time that Government of India should ban the use of asbestos in India. It has been proven scientifically that asbestos based articles such as roof ceilings, storage tanks will release fibers. The asbestos fibers will be the cause of exposure to our coming generations.”
“It is well known around the world that asbestos is hazardous to human health, and that there is no such thing as “safe use” of asbestos, just like there is no “safe cigarette”. The government of India would do better to aim for growth through development of safe industries, and to lower the prices of substitutes, rather than promote use of this hazardous substance,” opined Dr Yael Stein, MD, Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University, Israel.
Lyle Hargrove, Chairperson, Occupational Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada said, “I believe that it is real Black mark on my Canada for exporting ASBESTOS to India. We have cities devastated by Asbestos Manufacturing in the sixties and 70s. Workers were dying from Asbestos diseases and others were Sick including people that work in the plants, their family was getting sick as well. I demand that Canada quit exprting Asbestos to India and quit mining in Quebec. Asbestos is too dangerous to work with and I believe there is no safe level.”
New Delhi Declaration Seeking Elimination of all forms of asbestos including chrysotile from India was adopted and endorsed by eminent scientists and doctors on 24th March, 2011 at a Round Table which happened immediately after the conclusion of International Conference on "Emerging Trends in Preventing Occupational Respiratory Diseases and Cancers in Workplace". The Declaration is given below.
The delegates at the Round Table took stock of the Ban Asbestos Movement in Bihar, reference to asbestos in the Union Budget, land allot for asbestos plants in Bihar, promotion of asbestos in Tamil Nadu and Odisha and other states, the regressive proposal by Indian Bureau of Mines at the behest of chrysotile asbestos miners to lift the existing ban on asbestos mining in India and the and Ban White Asbestos Bill.
These delegates shared their considered views and gave their valuable hand written notes so that it can be used in a credible way while strongly recommending the need for immediate ban on asbestos to Government of India, State Governments and the relevant ministries.
The conference was organised by Centre for Occupational Health, New Delhi supported by Union Ministry of Labour & Employment, ESI, DGMS and DGFASL in collaboration with Drexel University, US at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi from 22-24 March. The conference was deeply concerned about asbestos related diseases and the alarming rise of asbestos in India.
The Round Table was organized by Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI), which has been working for asbestos free India. BANI has been campaigning for a asbestos free India and is assisting the Asbestos Mukti Andolan in Bihar.
For Details: Gopal Krishna, Convener, Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI)/Asbestos Mukti Andolan, Bihar Mb: 09818089660, 07739308480 Email:krishna2777@gmail.com, Blog:banasbestosindia.blogspot.com
New Delhi Declaration
Seeking Elimination of all forms of Asbestos including Chrysotile from India
Date: 24 March, 2011
Recalling the Ban Asbestos Resolution of 2002, WHO Resolution of 2005 and ILO Resolution of 2006 seeking elimination of future use of asbestos of all forms, in the face of massive asbestos exposure underway in India;
Taking note of 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 banning the use of asbestos in schools;
Considering the anti asbestos movement against 12 proposed asbestos plants in Bihar in face of massive people’s resistance;
Outraged at the Union of India’s Budget 2011-12’s callous reference to asbestos by including it under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to cover ‘unorganized sector workers in hazardous mining and associated industries like asbestos etc’ and on the other hand Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister’s Budget is allocating land for 4 new asbestos plants;
Recognising the fact that enviro-occupational health infrastructure in India is weak or non-existent in the face of workers and consumers who are sick and dying from asbestos-caused cancer and other related diseases;
Endorsing The STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS of The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill, 2009 introduced in the Indian Parliament that 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 (roofing material) and break (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.”
Appreciating Supreme Court of India’s order of 21st January, 2011 that takes cognizance of the above mentioned Bill and the resolutions of ILO and WHO and seeks government to take immediate preventive steps;
Taking cognizance of the human rights violation involved in exposing people to killer asbestos fibers and how even if few asbestos fibre reach the right places, it causes irreversible damage - leading to asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma;
Considering Government of India’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 unbecoming of a nation of India’s stature. It is unconscionable that the government knowingly allows trades in a killer product that will cause death of hundreds of thousands of people in India in general and in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Bihar and Rajasthan in particular and elsewhere in the world;
Reminding the Government of India that there is incontrovertible evidence that creates a compelling logic for making India asbestos free;
Condemning the asbestos exporting countries liaison with the Indian asbestos industry to which Government is turning a blind eye who have unleashed a misinformation campaign about controlled use of asbestos products which is a fantasy;
Disapproving Ministry of Environment & Forests Experts Appraisal Committee on Industry for approving environmental clearance of asbestos plants;
Asserting the fact that so far some 55 countries have banned all forms of asbestos, and are already using alternative materials;
Underlining that 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, IARC newly confirmed that there is sufficient evidence that asbestos causes ovarian cancer and reconfirmed asbestos causes laryngeal cancer;
We urge the Government to adequately compensate the victims of asbestos-related diseases, create a database of asbestos exposed people and victims as well as besides providing legal and possible medical relief and taking preventive measures. We call on the government to create a mesothelioma registry and a building registry of those facilities which have asbestos. We seek inclusion of environmental and occupational health study in the medical education of all the 300 medical colleges in India
We recommend that the Government should start efforts to decontaminate asbestos laden buildings including schools and hospitals
We express shock at the instance countries like Canada using tax-payers money and Canadian embassies to actively promote the sale of asbestos around the world;
We appeal to the Government of India to put a ban on export, import, manufacturing, use and mining of all forms of asbestos including chrysotile (white) in India.
We call upon the Government of India, State Governments in general and Bihar Government in Particular besides Indian Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Ministry of Mines to initiate steps for an immediate ban on use, manufacture and trade of all forms of asbestos (including Chrysotile or White Asbestos).
Endorsed by:
Prof (Dr) Arthur Frank, Professor, Chair: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, US, Email- alf13@drexel.edu
Dr Aleck Farquhar, Managing Director, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada, E-mail- afarquhar@ohcow.on.ca
Professor Elihu D Richter MD MPH, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Israel, E-mail-elihudrichter@gmail.com
Dr Yael Stein, MD, Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University, Israel, E-mail- stein444@gmail.com
Dr Lyle Hargrove, Chairperson, Occupational Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada, E-mail- lyle.hargrove@gmail.com
Prof (Dr) Qamar Rahman, Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, India & former Deputy Director, Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow E-mail- qamar_15@sify.com
Dr. T.K. Joshi, Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy, E-mail- kantjoshi@gmail.com
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Round Table on "Ban Asbestos Movement in Bihar & Ban White Asbestos Bill
Press Invite
Round Table on "Ban Asbestos Movement in Bihar, the Proposal to Lift the Existing Ban on Asbestos Mining in India & Ban White Asbestos Bill"
Expected Speakers: Dr. Arthur Frank, Professor, Chair: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, US
Professor Elihu D Richter MD MPH, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Israel
Dr. T.K. Joshi, Director, Centre for Occupational Health, New Delhi
Prof (Dr) Qamar Rahman, Dean, Integral University, Lucknow, formerly with ITRC, Lucknow
Dr Aleck Farquhar, Canada
Kurt Straif, IARC, France
Yael Stein, Israel
Dr Sanjay Chaturvedi, Delhi Unviversity, India
Ms Nalini Juganandan, Canada
Sonia Lal, Canada
Time: 5 PM
Date: 24 March, 2011
Venue: INSAF Office (Opposite Indian Statistical Institute), A124/6, Ist Floor Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi-16, Ph: 26517814
Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) invites you to a Round Table on "Ban Asbestos Movement in Bihar, the Proposal to Lift the Existing Ban on Asbestos Mining in India & Ban White Asbestos Bill".
The speakers will take stock of the situation in Bihar in particular and India in general and come up with recommendations for the State Government and the Central Government.
BANI has been campaigning for a asbestos free India and is assisting the Asbestos Mukti Andolan in Bihar
For Details: Gopal Krishna, Convener, Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI)/Asbestos Mukti Andolan, Bihar Mb: 09818089660, 07739308480, E-mail:krishna2777@gmail.com
Blog:banasbestosindia.blogspot.com
Round Table on "Ban Asbestos Movement in Bihar, the Proposal to Lift the Existing Ban on Asbestos Mining in India & Ban White Asbestos Bill"
Expected Speakers: Dr. Arthur Frank, Professor, Chair: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, US
Professor Elihu D Richter MD MPH, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Israel
Dr. T.K. Joshi, Director, Centre for Occupational Health, New Delhi
Prof (Dr) Qamar Rahman, Dean, Integral University, Lucknow, formerly with ITRC, Lucknow
Dr Aleck Farquhar, Canada
Kurt Straif, IARC, France
Yael Stein, Israel
Dr Sanjay Chaturvedi, Delhi Unviversity, India
Ms Nalini Juganandan, Canada
Sonia Lal, Canada
Time: 5 PM
Date: 24 March, 2011
Venue: INSAF Office (Opposite Indian Statistical Institute), A124/6, Ist Floor Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi-16, Ph: 26517814
Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) invites you to a Round Table on "Ban Asbestos Movement in Bihar, the Proposal to Lift the Existing Ban on Asbestos Mining in India & Ban White Asbestos Bill".
The speakers will take stock of the situation in Bihar in particular and India in general and come up with recommendations for the State Government and the Central Government.
BANI has been campaigning for a asbestos free India and is assisting the Asbestos Mukti Andolan in Bihar
For Details: Gopal Krishna, Convener, Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI)/Asbestos Mukti Andolan, Bihar Mb: 09818089660, 07739308480, E-mail:krishna2777@gmail.com
Blog:banasbestosindia.blogspot.com
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Global Asbestos Awareness Week!
Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) calls on concerned Indians and Indian institutions to join together for Global Asbestos Awareness Week from April 1st – April 7th.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported “in 2004, asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis from occupational exposures resulted in 107,000 deaths and 1,523,000 DALYs.
Disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is defined as the measure of overall disease burden expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death.
But these aren’t just numbers; these are individuals, families, and friends who have been impacted by preventable deadly diseases.
For Details: http://www.gban.net/
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported “in 2004, asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis from occupational exposures resulted in 107,000 deaths and 1,523,000 DALYs.
Disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is defined as the measure of overall disease burden expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death.
But these aren’t just numbers; these are individuals, families, and friends who have been impacted by preventable deadly diseases.
For Details: http://www.gban.net/
Student protest halts asbestos factory in Bihar, India
Work on the factory has come to a stop after protests
Devendra Ram was overjoyed when he first saw a factory being built near his village in Bihar.
It was an asbestos factory and the villagers were told it would provide jobs in Muzaffarpur district, an area where farm incomes had long been dwindling.
But then the children of the village got involved.
Mr Ram's teenage son, Hare Krishna, told him about what he had learned in school.
In his biology and chemistry lessons at the government-run school, he found out about the harmful effects of asbestos.
On hearing that an asbestos factory was going to be built in their village, Hare Krishna and other students launched a protest.
They told their farmer parents about the potentially deadly nature of asbestos.
Then they too got involved in the campaign against the factory. The protests against the factory have been so fierce that construction work has come to a temporary halt.
Protest movement
Hare Krishna read about asbestos in his biology lessons
It has been an acrimonious battle. Police fired on protesting villagers last month, injuring three farmers. More than 24 people have been injured in baton charges.
Campaigners say this could be the first time that students have launched a protest movement on the back of lessons learned in school.
It is remarkable, not just for the vociferous nature of the protest but also because this is a poor, remote area with high levels of illiteracy.
Villager Vinod Kumar Singh said his teenage daughter, Sonam, took the lead in convincing her mother and other women in the village.
"She literally forced us to oppose the set-up of the factory," he said.
Sonam says she will not stop educating villagers "until everybody comes out to oppose" the factory.
"If the government allows the factory they should first burn our school books in which they teach us about the deadly effects of asbestos," said Sonam.
Villagers surrounding her clapped and nodded vigorously in agreement.
“Unlike blue asbestos, white asbestos is harmless – the villagers are being mis-informed” BK Tiwari Balmukund Cement and Roofing
The movement has caught the attention of India's environmentalists and prominent social workers, including Medha Patkar.
And India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has sought details about the factory from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Mr Kumar said a consensus must be built across the country on the use of asbestos.
Meanwhile, the schoolchildren of Muzaffarpur are demonstrating every day to make people aware of the hazardous effects of the "asbestos dust".
Fears unfounded
But a manager at the company setting up the factory says the fears of the villagers are unfounded.
BK Tiwari, who works for Calcutta-based Balmukund Cement and Roofing company says there are over 50 white asbestos factories and many in densely-populated areas of the country.
Soonam Kumari (left) goes around educating villagers about "hazardous" asbestos
"There are no protests against the factories in these areas. Unlike blue asbestos, white asbestos is harmless. The villagers are being mis-informed," he said.
Mr Tiwari said the factory was expected to employ 500 villagers when it was fully operational.
One form of asbestos, white asbestos, is widely used in the developing world, but is banned on health grounds in many industrialised countries.
The World Health Organisation says it too is associated with diseases such as mesothelioma, lung and other cancers, but its promoters say it is safe if used properly.
But the villagers are not satisfied with Mr Tiwari's explanations. They say that school text books approved by the Bihar government itself show that all forms of asbestos are not only harmful but also cause deadly diseases such as cancer.
"Come what may, we will not allow the factory to come up," the villagers chanted in unison.
By Amarnath Tewary Muzaffarpur, Bihar
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12354285?print=true
Devendra Ram was overjoyed when he first saw a factory being built near his village in Bihar.
It was an asbestos factory and the villagers were told it would provide jobs in Muzaffarpur district, an area where farm incomes had long been dwindling.
But then the children of the village got involved.
Mr Ram's teenage son, Hare Krishna, told him about what he had learned in school.
In his biology and chemistry lessons at the government-run school, he found out about the harmful effects of asbestos.
On hearing that an asbestos factory was going to be built in their village, Hare Krishna and other students launched a protest.
They told their farmer parents about the potentially deadly nature of asbestos.
Then they too got involved in the campaign against the factory. The protests against the factory have been so fierce that construction work has come to a temporary halt.
Protest movement
Hare Krishna read about asbestos in his biology lessons
It has been an acrimonious battle. Police fired on protesting villagers last month, injuring three farmers. More than 24 people have been injured in baton charges.
Campaigners say this could be the first time that students have launched a protest movement on the back of lessons learned in school.
It is remarkable, not just for the vociferous nature of the protest but also because this is a poor, remote area with high levels of illiteracy.
Villager Vinod Kumar Singh said his teenage daughter, Sonam, took the lead in convincing her mother and other women in the village.
"She literally forced us to oppose the set-up of the factory," he said.
Sonam says she will not stop educating villagers "until everybody comes out to oppose" the factory.
"If the government allows the factory they should first burn our school books in which they teach us about the deadly effects of asbestos," said Sonam.
Villagers surrounding her clapped and nodded vigorously in agreement.
“Unlike blue asbestos, white asbestos is harmless – the villagers are being mis-informed” BK Tiwari Balmukund Cement and Roofing
The movement has caught the attention of India's environmentalists and prominent social workers, including Medha Patkar.
And India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has sought details about the factory from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Mr Kumar said a consensus must be built across the country on the use of asbestos.
Meanwhile, the schoolchildren of Muzaffarpur are demonstrating every day to make people aware of the hazardous effects of the "asbestos dust".
Fears unfounded
But a manager at the company setting up the factory says the fears of the villagers are unfounded.
BK Tiwari, who works for Calcutta-based Balmukund Cement and Roofing company says there are over 50 white asbestos factories and many in densely-populated areas of the country.
Soonam Kumari (left) goes around educating villagers about "hazardous" asbestos
"There are no protests against the factories in these areas. Unlike blue asbestos, white asbestos is harmless. The villagers are being mis-informed," he said.
Mr Tiwari said the factory was expected to employ 500 villagers when it was fully operational.
One form of asbestos, white asbestos, is widely used in the developing world, but is banned on health grounds in many industrialised countries.
The World Health Organisation says it too is associated with diseases such as mesothelioma, lung and other cancers, but its promoters say it is safe if used properly.
But the villagers are not satisfied with Mr Tiwari's explanations. They say that school text books approved by the Bihar government itself show that all forms of asbestos are not only harmful but also cause deadly diseases such as cancer.
"Come what may, we will not allow the factory to come up," the villagers chanted in unison.
By Amarnath Tewary Muzaffarpur, Bihar
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12354285?print=true
Friday, February 25, 2011
Blinded by profit, Bihar plans to open 12 asbestos factories
Lives of poor come cheap
Anuradha Dutt
Blinded by profit, Bihar plans to open 12 asbestos factories
For policy-makers, industrial development, sometimes, entails jeopardising the health of citizens, who lack a voice and recourse to remedial action. The plan to set up 12 asbestos factories in Bihar falls in this category. Muzaffarpur, Bhojpur, Vaishali, Champaran and Madhubani are the sites for the plants, which will produce asbestos sheets and the like, using raw material imported from countries such as Canada, Russia, Kazakhastan and China. The health hazards posed by asbestos are widely known, with some types of cancer, among other maladies, being ascribed to the effects of the fibre, used to make roofs and walls in dwellings of the poor. But then, to recall a well-tested adage, the lives of the poor come cheap for those at the helm of power.
India is among the countries that have chosen to ignore warnings issued in this regard by World Health Organisation and International Labour Organisation, and allowed use of asbestos products even if mining was gradually phased out since 1989 under growing international pressure. Opponents are worried about concerted lobbying by the rich and powerful asbestos industry, here and abroad, to persuade the Indian Government to lift the ban on mining, and promote the use of the fibre. They are especially concerned that Canada, which is trying hard to revive its asbestos industry, has been focussing on India as a huge potential market and business ally. And local industrial collaborators, with many reported to be close to the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre, have also been pushing for lifting the mining ban and encouraging use of the fibre.
Ban Asbestos Network of India, an alliance of civil society groups, which has been trying to highlight the issue and help other rights bodies mobilise people in Bihar against the setting up of the plants in their State, condemns Canada’s duplicity. For, while seeking markets in India and other emerging economies, it has adopted a no home-use policy even as it decontaminates buildings. A memorandum of understanding was signed on December 31, 2010, between the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and the Indian Merchants’ Chamber on the supposedly safe use of asbestos. This occurred just before a trade mission to India. The Indian Supreme Court, which is hearing a PIL to ban asbestos completely, has taken note of the fact that Canada strictly regulates the use of asbestos under its Hazardous Products Act and the Environmental Protection Act, but produced 1,80,000 tonnes of the mineral in 2009. An estimated 96 per cent was exported, according to the US Geological Survey. India constitutes a primary market.
It is not as if policy-makers here are unaware of the dangers posed by the fibre. As far back as the late 1960s, they took note of the fact. After 30 workers from Roro mines in Chaibasa, West Singhbhum district — in Jharkhand now — died of asbestosis. P Mazumdar, a trade union leader, campaigned for occupational health rights. The late Indrajit Gupta, CPI MP, raised the issue in Parliament. Opponents continued to draw attention to the dangers posed by asbestos and pushed for using safe alternatives, but industry lobbyists ensured that the ban on mining was not extended to the use of this fibre. Profit over principles is another well-tested adage. This explains India’s ambivalence with regard to trade in asbestos. Mining is banned but import, manufacture and use of products is permitted. A People’s Union for Civil Liberties report on the Bihar plants calls for an immediate halt to the work at all the sites, while stating that “Bihar cannot be made the dumping ground of hazardous production, exposing the people here to all kinds of risks because they are poor”.
And that is the crux of the matter, with free trade, under the guise of economic liberalisation, being deliberately construed by commercial buccaneers and political underlings as license to ride roughshod over health concerns, human rights, land ownership issues and environmental imperatives. In the present instance, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is reported to have deflected blame on the Union Government for having approved the setting-up of the factories. In the wake of a six-month long campaign against the setting-up of a plant in Muzaffarpur’s Chainpur-Bishunpur area, Mr Nitish Kumar attempted to clarify his Government’s stand on the issue at a Press conference in New Delhi on February 2. He claimed not to have granted permission, and pressed for suspending asbestos factories throughout India. He rued the absence of a uniform policy in this regard.
According to BANI, clearance for the project has been granted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, State Pollution Control Board, State Investment Promotion Board and the State Industry Board. However, since health is a State subject, the Government of Bihar can certainly spike the plan. Opponents feel that industrial lobbies are at work to ensure that the project is not scrapped. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court wants Parliament to bring in a suitable law. The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill is pending since 2009, and opponents are hoping that it will be taken up and the ban on the asbestos trade made legally binding.
February 26, 2011
The Pioneer
Anuradha Dutt
Blinded by profit, Bihar plans to open 12 asbestos factories
For policy-makers, industrial development, sometimes, entails jeopardising the health of citizens, who lack a voice and recourse to remedial action. The plan to set up 12 asbestos factories in Bihar falls in this category. Muzaffarpur, Bhojpur, Vaishali, Champaran and Madhubani are the sites for the plants, which will produce asbestos sheets and the like, using raw material imported from countries such as Canada, Russia, Kazakhastan and China. The health hazards posed by asbestos are widely known, with some types of cancer, among other maladies, being ascribed to the effects of the fibre, used to make roofs and walls in dwellings of the poor. But then, to recall a well-tested adage, the lives of the poor come cheap for those at the helm of power.
India is among the countries that have chosen to ignore warnings issued in this regard by World Health Organisation and International Labour Organisation, and allowed use of asbestos products even if mining was gradually phased out since 1989 under growing international pressure. Opponents are worried about concerted lobbying by the rich and powerful asbestos industry, here and abroad, to persuade the Indian Government to lift the ban on mining, and promote the use of the fibre. They are especially concerned that Canada, which is trying hard to revive its asbestos industry, has been focussing on India as a huge potential market and business ally. And local industrial collaborators, with many reported to be close to the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre, have also been pushing for lifting the mining ban and encouraging use of the fibre.
Ban Asbestos Network of India, an alliance of civil society groups, which has been trying to highlight the issue and help other rights bodies mobilise people in Bihar against the setting up of the plants in their State, condemns Canada’s duplicity. For, while seeking markets in India and other emerging economies, it has adopted a no home-use policy even as it decontaminates buildings. A memorandum of understanding was signed on December 31, 2010, between the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and the Indian Merchants’ Chamber on the supposedly safe use of asbestos. This occurred just before a trade mission to India. The Indian Supreme Court, which is hearing a PIL to ban asbestos completely, has taken note of the fact that Canada strictly regulates the use of asbestos under its Hazardous Products Act and the Environmental Protection Act, but produced 1,80,000 tonnes of the mineral in 2009. An estimated 96 per cent was exported, according to the US Geological Survey. India constitutes a primary market.
It is not as if policy-makers here are unaware of the dangers posed by the fibre. As far back as the late 1960s, they took note of the fact. After 30 workers from Roro mines in Chaibasa, West Singhbhum district — in Jharkhand now — died of asbestosis. P Mazumdar, a trade union leader, campaigned for occupational health rights. The late Indrajit Gupta, CPI MP, raised the issue in Parliament. Opponents continued to draw attention to the dangers posed by asbestos and pushed for using safe alternatives, but industry lobbyists ensured that the ban on mining was not extended to the use of this fibre. Profit over principles is another well-tested adage. This explains India’s ambivalence with regard to trade in asbestos. Mining is banned but import, manufacture and use of products is permitted. A People’s Union for Civil Liberties report on the Bihar plants calls for an immediate halt to the work at all the sites, while stating that “Bihar cannot be made the dumping ground of hazardous production, exposing the people here to all kinds of risks because they are poor”.
And that is the crux of the matter, with free trade, under the guise of economic liberalisation, being deliberately construed by commercial buccaneers and political underlings as license to ride roughshod over health concerns, human rights, land ownership issues and environmental imperatives. In the present instance, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is reported to have deflected blame on the Union Government for having approved the setting-up of the factories. In the wake of a six-month long campaign against the setting-up of a plant in Muzaffarpur’s Chainpur-Bishunpur area, Mr Nitish Kumar attempted to clarify his Government’s stand on the issue at a Press conference in New Delhi on February 2. He claimed not to have granted permission, and pressed for suspending asbestos factories throughout India. He rued the absence of a uniform policy in this regard.
According to BANI, clearance for the project has been granted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, State Pollution Control Board, State Investment Promotion Board and the State Industry Board. However, since health is a State subject, the Government of Bihar can certainly spike the plan. Opponents feel that industrial lobbies are at work to ensure that the project is not scrapped. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court wants Parliament to bring in a suitable law. The White Asbestos (Ban on Use and Import) Bill is pending since 2009, and opponents are hoping that it will be taken up and the ban on the asbestos trade made legally binding.
February 26, 2011
The Pioneer
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