US does not mine asbestos since 2002

Asbestos has not been mined in the United States since 2002. U.S. asbestos consumption is likely to decline over time as the few remaining consuming industries slowly replace older asbestos-based technology or phase out its use.

Statement from US Surgeon General Steven K. Galson about National Asbestos Week

In recognition of ‘National Asbestos Awareness Week,’ I urge every American to become aware of the public health issues of asbestos exposure and the steps they can take to protect their health.

In recent decades, because of concern about asbestos’ health effects, production and use has declined substantially. Most individuals exposed to asbestos, whether in a home, in the workplace, or out-of-doors will not develop disease- but there is no level of asbestos exposure that is known to be safe and minimizing your exposure will minimize your risk of developing asbestos-related disease.

Asbestos is the name given to a group of fibrous minerals that occur naturally in the environment.  Low levels of asbestos are commonly in the air as fibers enter the environment from natural rock outcroppings, products that contain asbestos, former asbestos mining and milling operations, and from disturbance of asbestos-containing material. It is when we are exposed to much more concentrated levels of asbestos that we should be concerned.  Therefore, it is important for all Americans to be aware of asbestos levels in their environment.

Asbestos can be dangerous if it is inhaled.  Activity that disturbs asbestos causing these small fibers to float in air increases the chances of inhalation and the contraction of asbestos-related diseases. Disturbance is what leads to exposure. Do not attempt to touch or remove asbestos by yourself. Only people professionally trained and certified to safely handle asbestos should remove it.

Once breathed in, asbestos fibers can remain in the lungs for years and even decades. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause inflammation and scarring of the lungs, changes in the lining of the chest cavity around the lung, and certain cancers. Remember that tobacco smoke greatly increases your risk of lung cancer if you have also been exposed to asbestos.

If you think you have been exposed to asbestos, I encourage you to speak to your health care provider. Your provider can tell you if any of your health problems might be caused by asbestos exposure.
To learn more about asbestos and asbestos related diseases, please visit:

• http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/
• http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/asbestos/
• http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/

In 2011, according to the United States Geological Survey, the U.S. exported about $27 million worth of asbestos products. Source: http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/asbestos/myb1-2011-asbes.pdf

Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007 was passed in the US Senate by unanimous consent on October 04, 2007. 

ToxicsWatch mourns death of man who pushed for asbestos registry for public buildings

ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)

Press Release

ToxicsWatch mourns death of man who pushed for asbestos registry for public buildings

Russia may ban asbestos, French leader charged with manslaughter for promoting asbestos use 

Indian Navy against Russian asbestos, Govts ignore NHRC’s notice seeking response on banning white asbestos 

New Delhi November 9, 2012: Governments continue to pretend ignorance about the sick buildings having asbestos, the death of Howard Willems, a building inspector who had asked his Saskatchewan provincial government in Canada to release a list of public buildings that contain asbestos underlines the significance of his demand. He died on November 8 from mesothelioma, a form of cancer that develops from inhaling asbestos fibres. In India, no building is marked asbestos due to the collusion between Government agencies and the asbestos companies. ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA) demands that all the buildings having asbestos must be marked with asbestos sign and a Danger Symbol. TWA demands that details about asbestos containment in public buildings be listed online.

Before his death, Howard Willems said in media interviews last week that people should know if they’re going into buildings that have asbestos — especially if there is construction work. In India, asbestos continues to be used in the buildings all the constructions workers, labour inspectors and residents under those buildings are under threat of exposure of asbestos fibers. 

In India, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)’s notices on gnawing public concerns from lung cancer causing asbestos have been ignored in general.Howard Willems died after a long battle with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that comes from inhaling asbestos fibres. Willems used to work as a building inspector for 31 years. Willems had said the buildings he entered were not marked and there was no warning on the insulating material. He added he would have taken steps to protect himself had he known there was asbestos in the buildings he inspected.

Ongoing anti-asbestos struggle in Bihar and Odisha shows that if the governments do not act to save public health informed citizens and villagers can act to stop such hazardous factories which are harmful to the present and future generations. In a related development, District Magistrate, Vaishali, Bihar has convened a meeting with Khet Bachao Jeevan Bachao Jansagharsh Committee, Vashali on October 10, 2012 to hear villagers’ grievance against the proposed asbestos based factory of Utkal Asbestos Limited.        

Revealing growing awareness about hazards from asbestos fibers, the news report on the delivery of the INS Vikramaditya, a former Russian naval aircraft carrier (formerly Admiral Gorshkov) dated Sep 17, 2012 published in  DefenseWorld.net stated, “India refused to use asbestos to protect the boilers from heat, fearing that the material was dangerous for the crew" according to Russian officials. The statement of the official spokesperson for the Indian Navy, Commander PVS Satish, read: “There is no question of India’s refusal to use of asbestos since it’s internationally banned. At the time of signing the contract, it was simply specified in the agreement.” This merits serious attention of the Indian ministries of commerce, finance and rural development which have been promoting its use despite concerns expressed by ministries of environment, labour, chemicals and health besides Kerala State Human Rights Commission.

It is noteworthy that Russian company is the largest supplier of asbestos to India unmindful of the fact that almost the entire developed world has banned its use. It has come to light that on September 7, 2011, the Russian Justice Ministry promulgated a law (standard SanPiN1 2.2.3.2887-11) that recognized the hazard posed by chrysotile asbestos and chrysotile-containing materials. SanPiN stands for sanitary/epidemiological rule and standard. SanPiN is a standard issued by the Russian authorities responsible for the regulation of the manufacture and use of, and exposure to, chemicals. In the recent past, Russian asbestos companies have frustrated efforts by the WHO to adopt measures to prevent future asbestos-related diseases and regulations by UN’s Rotterdam Convention. In June 2011, a technical regulation drafted by the Russian Federal State Unitary Enterprise proposed a ban on asbestos in friction materials, enforceable throughout the Eurasian Economic Community, members of which include Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Belarus. The adoption of standard SanPiN 2.2.3.2887-11 signals the beginning of the end of Russian asbestos production. ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA) hopes that Russian Government will succeed in resisting the harmful influence of Russian asbestos industry.

It is strange that Russian authorities who are rightly planning to ban asbestos allowed presence of asbestos in INS Vikramaditya, a former Russian naval aircraft carrier (formerly Admiral Gorshkov) although asbestos use is banned by International Maritime Organisation and World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Labor Organisation (ILO) has called for elimination of all kinds of asbestos.  

Meanwhile, in a significant development, a former French leader Martine Aubry has been charged with manslaughter and is under investigation for failing to protect industrial workers from asbestos. According to the news article published in Expatica, November 7, 2012, “Aubry was accused of having helped to delay the implementation in France of a 1983 European Union directive designed to strengthen the protection of workers dealing with asbestos.” Aubry denied the charges and allegations against her, stating it is a “profound insult to who I am and the professional and political choices I have made throughout my life.” Martine Aubry, the former leader of France's governing Socialist Party, has been charged with manslaughter in a probe into whether state negligence contributed to thousands of deaths caused by asbestos exposure. The charges against Aubry relate to her time as a senior official in the ministry of social affairs, a major figure in French politics. As the ministry's director of industrial relations from 1984-87, Aubry is accused of having helped to delay the implementation in France of a 1983 European Union directive designed to strengthen the protection of workers dealing with asbestos.

Aubry bowed to pressure from industrialists lobbying against a complete ban on the use of the material and that she ignored warnings from French health authorities of a mushrooming epidemic of cancers and terminal lung diseases. Aubry, the daughter of former European Commission President Jacques Delors is caught in a far-reaching probe into how the French authorities handled the emerging evidence of the dangers posed by asbestos between 1970 and 1997, when the material was finally banned. The specific charges against her relate to the case of workers employed at the Fereo-Valeo auto-components factory in Normandy. Asbestos was once widely used for car brake pads. An estimated 3,000 people currently die prematurely every year in France as a result of asbestos poisoning and there have been pessimistic predictions that the death rate could nearly treble over the next decade because of exposure in the 70s and 80s. Aubry was formally charged in the early hours of November 7, 2012.

Signaling the possibility of Indian asbestos manufacturers facing a similar fate, in a path breaking judgment, an Italian court in Turin convicted Schmidheiny, a Swiss tycoon and De Cartier, a Belgian baron of negligence over some 2,200 asbestos-related deaths on February 13, 2012. The court held that the two had failed to comply with safety rules at building firm Eternit, where they were key shareholders. Their charges carry a maximum 12-year term. Eternit closed its operations in Italy in 1986 - six years before asbestos was banned in the country.

It is noteworthy that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had issued notices on July 6, 2011 on banning the use of white asbestos, to all states and territories along with several Union Ministries and asked them to file a status report on it within four weeks.  The NHRC's action came as it took cognisance of a complaint by TWA alleging that around 50,000 people die every year in the country due to asbestos related cancer. Only the States of Mizoram, Nagaland and the National Institute of Occupational Health Ahmedabad have submitted the reports. The NHRC issued reminders on 21st May, 2012, returnable in six weeks, to the Chief Secretaries of all States/Union Territories and other concerned authorities at Centre who have failed to submit requisite reports so far.

NHRC's intervention has been sought for a ban on the use of Chrysotile Asbestos known as white asbestos, which is hazardous for the health and causes various incurable diseases. In the complaint, contradictory position of the government has been cited on the issue and alleged that though mining of asbestos has been technically banned by the government, the government allows its import and that too from the countries which do not prefer its domestic use.  TWA, the complainant has also requested for grant of a compensation package for present and future victims of asbestos related diseases.

The NHRC has issued notices to secretaries of Ministries of Chemical Fertilizers, Environment and Forest, Health and Family Welfare, Industry and Commerce, Labour and Chief Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories. The white asbestos is a fibrous material used for building roofs and walls. White asbestos is considered a hazardous chemical substance for human lung and over 55 countries in the world have banned its use. However, it is being used in a number of industries like construction in India, affecting the workers, their families, communities in the vicinity of the asbestos based factories and consumers.  

For Details: Gopal Krishna, Convener, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA), Mb: 9818089660, E-mail: krishna1715@gmail.com, Web: toxicswatch.blogspot.com

Man who pushed for asbestos registry for Sask. public buildings dies

Regina Leader Post, Canadian Press November 8, 2012  http://www.leaderpost.com/health/pushed+asbestos+registry+Sask+public+buildings+dies/7521282/story.html#ixzz2BhGpyrmw

 

Howard Willems, who had asked the province to release a list of public buildings that contain asbestos, died Thursday from mesothelioma, a form of cancer that develops from inhaling asbestos fibres.

Photograph by: Gord Waldner , The StarPhoenix files

SASKATOON — A Saskatchewan man who urged the province to make lists available to everyone of public buildings that contain asbestos is dead.
The family of Howard Willems says he died peacefully Thursday after a long battle with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that comes from inhaling asbestos fibres.
Willems’ stepson, Jesse Todd, says his stepfather had been sedated for the last 48 hours and last spoke Tuesday.
“He gathered the family around and said he’d had enough and he was tired,” Todd said in a phone interview from Saskatoon. “Just wanted to go in peace.”
Willems worked as a building inspector for 31 years. Last week he said in media interviews that people should know if they’re going into buildings that have asbestos — especially if there is construction work.
Asbestos was frequently used in building materials, such as insulation and roofing, until the late 1970s. It is not considered harmful if undisturbed, but construction work stirs up hazardous fibres that can be inhaled.
Willems had said the buildings he entered were not marked and there was no warning on the insulating material. He added he would have taken steps to protect himself had he known there was asbestos in the buildings he inspected.
Willems spoke out as the Opposition NDP introduced a private member’s bill in the Saskatchewan legislature that would require that details about asbestos containment in public buildings be listed online.
Todd says Willems tried to make a difference.
“He just hopes that all this does bring about change in the end. You know, this was his wish.”
The World Health Organization estimates that 107,000 people die globally each year from asbestos-related disease.

French Leader Charged with Manslaughter, Under Investigation for Asbestos Related Deaths

Below is an article in English, French Leader Charged with Manslaughter, Under Investigation for Asbestos Related Deaths, and below that is an article on the same topic that appeared in the Quebec La Presse newspaper. The La Presse article also referred to the possibility of taking legal action against Canadian officials. Kathleen Ruff's translation of that part:

(Paris) While Quebec is putting an end to the mining of asbestos, the French court questioned the use of this product, that was permitted by the public authorities to be used in the country until 1997. The exercise could lead to the indictment of several former officials suspected of having neglected the health warnings, says our reporter.............................

The judicial developments taking place in France and Italy are inspiring Canadian activists opposed to asbestos, like Kathleen Ruff, who does not exclude seeing the possibility of seeing Canadian officials one day brought before the courts.

The Quebec and federal governments, together with industrial asbestos, minimized the hazards posed by the use of the product, she says, and should be held accountable in this regard.

"Nothing will change if people are not held accountable for what they did," said the activist, joined Vancouver. 

            ==                                                                                                                                                                                                == 

French Leader Charged with Manslaughter, Under Investigation for Asbestos Related Deaths

Expatica, 07/11/2012

Former French leader Martine Aubry has been charged with manslaughter and is under investigation for failing to protect industrial workers from asbestos. According to the article, “Aubry was accused of having helped to delay the implementation in France of a 1983 European Union directive designed to strengthen the protection of workers dealing with asbestos.” Aubry denied the charges and allegations against her, stating it is a “profound insult to who I am and the professional and political choices I have made throughout my life.” Staff Report, Expatica 11/07/2012

Martine Aubry, the former leader of France's governing Socialist Party, has been charged with manslaughter in a probe into whether state negligence contributed to thousands of deaths caused by asbestos exposure.

The charges against Aubry relate to her time as a senior official in the ministry of social affairs, before she became a major figure in French politics.

As the ministry's director of industrial relations from 1984-87, Aubry is accused of having helped to delay the implementation in France of a 1983 European Union directive designed to strengthen the protection of workers dealing with asbestos.

The examining magistrate in the case believes Aubry bowed to pressure from industrialists lobbying against a complete ban on the use of the material and that she ignored warnings from French health authorities of a mushrooming epidemic of cancers and terminal lung diseases.

Aubry has strongly denied all the charges, describing them as a "profound insult to who I am and the professional and political choices I have made throughout my life."

Aubry, the daughter of former European Commission President Jacques Delors, has found herself caught up in a far-reaching probe into how the French authorities handled the emerging evidence of the dangers posed by asbestos between 1970 and 1997, when the material was finally banned.

The specific charges against her relate to the case of workers employed at the Fereo-Valeo auto-components factory in Normandy. Asbestos was once widely used for car brake pads.

An estimated 3,000 people currently die prematurely every year in France as a result of asbestos poisoning and there have been pessimistic predictions that the death rate could nearly treble over the next decade because of exposure in the 70s and 80s.

Lawyers for Aubry, who was formally charged in the early hours of Wednesday following a marathon session with the magistrate, were expected to lodge a request for the charges to be dropped later in the day.

France: après le sang contaminé, l'amiante?

La juge d'instruction Odile Bertella-Geoffroy souhaite mettre en examen pour «homicides involontaires» l'ex-première secrétaire du Parti socialiste Martine Aubry.
Photo : Kenzo Tribouillard, AFP

Marc Thibodeau  La Presse, le 03 novembre 2012

(Paris) Tandis que le Québec met le holà sur la production d'amiante, la justice française s'interroge sur l'utilisation de ce produit, permise par les autorités publiques sur le territoire national jusqu'en 1997. L'exercice pourrait mener à la mise en accusation de plusieurs anciens hauts responsables soupçonnés d'avoir négligé les mises en garde sanitaires, relate notre journaliste.

Le dossier de l'amiante débouchera-t-il en France sur l'inculpation de plusieurs hauts responsables de l'État comme l'a fait le scandale du sang contaminé?
Le scénario, que les associations de victimes de l'amiante appellent de leurs voeux depuis longtemps, pourrait se concrétiser prochainement après des années d'enquête et risque de toucher au moins une personnalité politique connue.
La juge d'instruction chargée du dossier, Odile Bertella-Geoffroy, souhaite notamment mettre en examen pour «homicides involontaires» l'ex-première secrétaire du Parti socialiste Martine Aubry, pour son rôle comme directrice des relations du travail au ministère du Travail, dans les années 80.
Selon le quotidien Le Figaro, Mme Aubry se voit notamment reprocher d'avoir transposé trop tardivement une circulaire européenne de 1983 destinée à réduire l'empoussièrement dans les usines.
La politicienne a été convoquée en octobre par la magistrate, mais a évoqué un problème d'horaire pour reporter la rencontre, qui doit avoir lieu mardi prochain.
Cette semaine, ses avocats ont fait savoir qu'ils entendaient présenter des requêtes en nullité pour contester toutes les mises en examen «qui ont été ou qui pourraient être prononcées» contre elle. D'autres anciens hauts fonctionnaires des ministères du Travail et de la Santé entendent en faire autant.
Les avocats se sont dits «stupéfaits de voir que ceux qui ont consacré la plus grande partie de leur vie à protéger les droits de nos concitoyens soient mis en examen ou susceptibles de l'être, et non entendus comme témoins».
L'Association nationale de défense des victimes de l'amiante (Andeva) se félicite pour sa part des derniers développements dans ce dossier.
«Après 16 ans d'instruction, il serait temps qu'en France, les pouvoirs publics fassent enfin preuve de leur détermination à voir tous les responsables de cette catastrophe rendre des comptes à la justice», relève l'organisation.
Marc Hindry, administrateur d'Andeva, note que la justice française a longtemps traîné les pieds. L'affaire a d'abord été confiée, dit-il, à des magistrats surchargés ou peu intéressés par les questions de santé publique avant d'être prise en charge par Mme Bertella-Geoffroy au sein d'un pôle d'enquête consacré à ce type de question.
Les difficultés multiples qu'elle a dû surmonter pour faire avancer l'enquête témoignent, selon lui, du fait qu'il n'y a «au minimum aucune volonté» sur le plan politique de la voir réussir.
Pas de volonté politique
«Dans un pays où l'on fait une enquête dès qu'il y a un mort sur la route, il est quand même bizarre de constater qu'il n'y a pas de volonté de la part des autorités de faire la lumière sur une affaire qui a fait entre 40 000 et 50 000 morts», dit-il.
M. Hindry, qui enseigne à l'Université Jussieu, établissement où plusieurs personnes ont été victimes d'une forte exposition à l'amiante, ne s'attendait pas à ce que l'enquête mène à une mise en cause de Martine Aubry, mais il ne s'en étonne pas.
L'ancienne haute responsable a joué un rôle important dans la mise sur pied d'un fonds d'indemnisation pour les victimes de l'amiante. Elle était néanmoins en poste, dit-il, à un moment-clé dans les années 80 où la France ne faisait «rien» pendant que plusieurs autres pays s'inquiétaient du produit.
«Il est tout à fait normal que la juge veuille l'entendre pour comprendre pourquoi les autorités n'ont rien fait», souligne M. Hindry, qui espère voir un procès ciblant des responsables publiques se concrétiser d'ici «deux ou trois ans».
L'enquête cible aussi une demi-douzaine d'anciens membres du Comité permanent amiante, un comité mixte qui a tout fait dans les années 80, au dire d'Andeva, pour prolonger l'utilisation du produit malgré les risques.
Les militants de l'organisation se disent encouragés par la condamnation cette année, en Italie, de deux hauts responsables d'une firme, Eternit, qui produisait de l'amiante-ciment. Des peines de prison de 16 ans fermes leur ont été imposées pour la mort «volontaire» de 3000 personnes indûment exposées à l'amiante.
Les développements juridiques en cours en France et en Italie inspirent les militants canadiens opposés à l'amiante comme Kathleen Ruff, qui n'exclut pas de voir de hauts responsables canadiens amenés un jour devant les tribunaux.
Les gouvernements québécois et fédéral, de concert avec les industriels de l'amiante, ont minimisé, selon elle, les risques posés par l'usage du produit et devraient rendre des comptes à ce sujet.
«Rien ne va changer si les gens ne sont pas tenus responsables de ce qu'ils ont fait», affirme la militante, jointe à Vancouver.

Kathleen Ruff	9:28 AM (54 minutes ago)
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French Leader Charged with Manslaughter, Under Investigation for Asbestos Related Deaths

Socialist leader on manslaughter charge over asbestos deaths, Expatica, November 7, 2012

Martine Aubry, the former leader of France’s governing Socialist Party, has been charged with manslaughter in a probe into whether state negligence contributed to thousands of deaths caused by asbestos exposure.
The charges against Aubry relate to her time as a senior official in the ministry of social affairs, before she became a major figure in French politics.
As the ministry’s director of industrial relations from 1984-87, Aubry is accused of having helped to delay the implementation in France of a 1983 European Union directive designed to strengthen the protection of workers dealing with asbestos.
The examining magistrate in the case believes Aubry bowed to pressure from industrialists lobbying against a complete ban on the use of the material and that she ignored warnings from French health authorities of a mushrooming epidemic of cancers and terminal lung diseases.
Aubry has strongly denied all the charges, describing them as a “profound insult to who I am and the professional and political choices I have made throughout my life.”
Aubry, the daughter of former European Commission President Jacques Delors, has found herself caught up in a far-reaching probe into how the French authorities handled the emerging evidence of the dangers posed by asbestos between 1970 and 1997, when the material was finally banned.
The specific charges against her relate to the case of workers employed at the Fereo-Valeo auto-components factory in Normandy. Asbestos was once widely used for car brake pads.
An estimated 3,000 people currently die prematurely every year in France as a result of asbestos poisoning and there have been pessimistic predictions that the death rate could nearly treble over the next decade because of exposure in the 70s and 80s.
Lawyers for Aubry, who was formally charged in the early hours of Wednesday following a marathon session with the magistrate, were expected to lodge a request for the charges to be dropped later in the day.

                                                        ==                                     ==

France: après le sang contaminé, l’amiante?

An article on the same topic in the Quebec La Presse newspaper also raised the possibility of taking legal action against Canadian officials.
Translation:
While Quebec is putting an end to the mining of asbestos, the French court questioned the use of this product, that was permitted by the public authorities to be used in the country until 1997. The exercise could lead to the indictment of several former officials suspected of having neglected the health warnings, says our reporter ……..

Last Quebec asbestos mine abandons its plan to re-open

New Quebec government to be congratulated for taking action on asbestos

 

RightOnCanada.ca, October 17, 2012

While much attention has been paid to the plan by Baljit Singh Chadha, Bernard Coulombe and a Thai investor (Ulan Global Marketing) to open up the Jeffrey underground asbestos mine, efforts were also being made to restart asbestos mining at Thetford Mines after the closure of its mine a year ago.
After operating for 130 years, the Lac d’Amiante du Canada mine (LAC) at Thetford Mines, Quebec, closed down in October 2011, due to a landslide caused by its mining operations. Two months later, LAB Chrysotile Inc., the company that operated the LAC mine, filed for bankruptcy. This was the last operating asbestos mine in Quebec, since the other Quebec asbestos mine, the open pit Jeffrey mine at Asbestos, had virtually ceased operating two years ago and had only operated part-year prior to that, due to the depletion of its asbestos deposit.
A Committee to Re-launch the LAC Mine was set up, with the participation of the mayor of Thetford Mines, other regional politicians, the Chamber of Commerce and the local  Steelworkers Union. The Committee has held meetings over the past year.
On Tuesday, October 16, the president of LAB Chrysotile, Simon Dupéré, announced that, in light of recent decisions by the Quebec and Canadian governments, Lab Chrysotile was indefinitely suspending its plans to recommence asbestos mining. In an article published in a Thetford Mines on-line publication, entitled Relance de la mine Lac d’Amiante : Simon Dupéré jette l’éponge (Relaunch of the Lac D’Amiante mine: Simon Dupéré throws in the towel), Dupéré stated that in light of the recent decisions by the Quebec and Canadian governments to stop supporting the asbestos industry, it would be impossible to attract foreign investors.
The mayor of Thetford Mines, Luc Berthold, said this decision was very sad news, but that he was not surprised, as with the climate created by the Quebec government, he did not see how it would be possible to convince foreign investors to invest tens of millions of dollars in a project to re-start asbestos mining at Thetford Mines.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday October 16, the Quebec minister for Industrial Policy, Élaine Zakaïb, was scheduled to meet with the mayor of Asbestos, Hugues Grimard, and other regional representatives. Prior to the meeting, Zakaïb stated at a press conference that she hopes to set up a committee that will oversee efforts to diversify the economy of the Asbestos area. She said that the area could use the unused $50 million part of the $58 million loan, given by the previous Charest government to re-open Jeffrey mine, as well as the $50 million that the Canadian government has promised to provide to help diversify the economy of the asbestos-mining region.
The $58 million loan has been cancelled, said Zakaïb. It is a thing of the past and it will not be restored. She said that the new Parti Québécois government understood very well that this is very heartbreaking for the people of Asbestos. This is their history, she said, and it is understandable that people are saddened by what is happening. But now, said Zakaïb, we want to look to the future and work with the local people. It is up to the people of Asbestos to decide what kind of economy they want to develop. No-one knows better than the local population what is good for them, Zakaïb said. I am here to listen, to know what people have to say. We will try to look to the future and see how we can develop this area, Zakaïb stated.
The fact that the $58 million loan had been cancelled was announced by Bernard Coulombe on October 10. Coulombe told media that, as a consequence, he was shutting down the Jeffrey mine. He said that he would be removing his heavy machinery and would let the mine be flooded. On October 11, the Quebec government confirmed that the loan had been cancelled.
The new Quebec government is moving ahead on a number of urgent issues, such as closing down the Gentilly-2 nuclear power plant and cancelling the loan to the asbestos investors. The government is to be congratulated for following up in such a prompt manner on both these commitments. The government is also to be commended for reaching out to the people of Asbestos in order to work with them to diversify their economy. The town of Thetford Mines has, over the past decade and more, made impressive progress in diversifying its economy. The situation at the town of Asbestos is much more challenging. For efforts to diversify the economy to be successful, it will be essential to involve the local population, as Minister Zakaïb is reaching out to do.
Much work remains to be done in order to succeed in effectively diversifying the economy with initiatives to replace asbestos mining, as well as to assist asbestos victims in Quebec, protect people from asbestos already placed in buildings and infrastructure, pass legislation banning the mining, use, export and import of asbestos or asbestos-containing products. But the steps that have just been taken are important victories: the cancellation of the loan to Jeffrey mine, the shutting down by the asbestos industrialists of their plans to re-open the Jeffrey asbestos mine and the LAC asbestos mine, and the announcement by Minister Zakaïb that the Quebec government will work with the people of the asbestos mining region to develop alternative economic initiatives.
For the past year, no asbestos mining has taken place in Quebec, but asbestos industrialists were pursuing plans to re-open both the Jeffrey mine and the LAC mine. The industrialists have now admitted defeat and at both mines, plans to re-open have now been abandoned.
Kathleen Ruff, founder, RightOnCanada.ca

Asbestos is a "dirty" word for UN, Indian Navy, like India, Canadian asbestos mine too will not be re-opened

ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)

To

Hon’ble President of India

Rashtrapati Bhavan

Government of India

New Delhi

Date: October 11, 2012

Subject- Asbestos is a "dirty" word for UN, Indian Navy, like India, Canadian asbestos mine too will not be re-opened

Sir,

I wish to draw your urgent attention towards three facts related to world’s movement towards becoming asbestos free because asbestos has become a "dirty" word because of its health hazards. One, the UN Headquarters in New York has just been made asbestos free pursuant to the Capital Master Plan for the renovation United Nations Headquarters Complex which entailed asbestos removal project. In February 2012, UN Conference Rooms 1-3 was gutted and made free of asbestos.

Two, the news report on the delivery of the INS Vikramaditya, a former Russian naval aircraft carrier (formerly Admiral Gorshkov) dated Sep 17, 2012 published in  DefenseWorld.net revealing, “India refused to use asbestos to protect the boilers from heat, fearing that the material was dangerous for the crew" according to Russian officials. The statement of the official spokesperson for the Indian Navy, Commander PVS Satish, saying, “There is no question of India’s refusal to use of asbestos since it’s internationally banned. At the time of signing the contract, it was simply specified in the agreement” merits serious attention.

Three, the report of October 10, 2012 published in La Tribune in the Canada’s asbestos mining region of Quebec, wherein Bernard Coulombe, CEO of Jeffrey Asbestos Mine has confirmed to La Tribune on October 10, 2012 that the mine will be closed. It is logical after the new Quebec government has cancelled the $58 million loan that the previous government gave to open the Jeffrey underground mine. After Canadian Government announced a ‘U-turn on asbestos mining’ on September 14, 2012. This announcement was awaited.  

 (Source: Mine Jeffrey ne sera pas relancée, La Tribune, http://www.lapresse.ca/la-tribune/economie/201210/10/01-4582031-mine-jeffrey-ne-sera-pas-relancee.php)

I submit that to begin with key public building in India like Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament, Supreme Court, AIIMS, NHRC, buildings of our armed forces besides the headquarters of the political parties too should be made asbestos free like the UN headquarters.   

I submit that our armed forces are at a grave risk of asbestos exposure because asbestos has been used extensively in their work places and residential places. In the Army and Air Force, asbestos is used in brake and clutch pads installed in everything from tanks to jeeps to aircraft. Asbestos is part of the insulation in housing and other buildings on military bases, electric wiring insulation aboard military planes, and fire retardant materials used by military firefighters and gunners. In the Navy, Merchant Marine, and Coast Guard, it is even more widely used, mainly as thermal insulation aboard ships. Asbestos is used in old and new constructed naval vessels.

I submit that our Ministry of Defence, Navy, Army and Air Force must be asked to compile statistics for how many soldiers have died from asbestos related diseases, how many are suffering from it and how many face the danger of exposure which causes asbestos-related lung cancers and serious respiratory diseases. Our airmen, sailors and soldiers would feel betrayed by the armed forces and the government they served if they come to know that they faced asbestos exposure and government did nothing to save them.”

I submit that Union Ministries of Commerce and Finance fail to recognize that the world is preparing and planning to get rid of all forms of asbestos. This has been recognized by Ministries of Chemicals, Labour, Environment and Mines. It has been recognized by the National Human Rights Commission and Kerala State Human Rights Commission besides WHO, ILO and IARC. State Governments and other related ministries are constrained by the myopia of Commerce and Finance Ministries.     

I submit that it makes us look stupid in India to be still importing it and planning t o lift the ban on chrysotile asbestos mining. Instead, our scarce resources should be used to prevent the impending disaster by phasing it out as soon as we can.

It is high time Government of India took note of ongoing asbestos exposures of citizens, consumers and workers and took immediate remedial measures. The exposure of construction workers and automobile mechanics for instance defies regulatory control efforts in any country.

I submit that asbestos is mainly used for manufacturing asbestos-cement sheets, asbestos-cement pipes, brake lining, clutch lining, asbestos yarn & ropes, gaskets & seals etc.

I submit that import and export Asbestos-containing Products should be banned at the earliest and decontamination of asbestos laden building sand products must be initiated to save future victims.

I submit that although more than 50 countries have recognized that safe and controlled use of asbestos of all kinds is not possible, CPCB under tremendous influence of the asbestos industry recommends standards even at the risk of sounding ridiculous in the comity of nations.

I submit that there were questions raised about asbestos in 15th Lok Sabha. In one instance, the Union Minister of Mines and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region reiterated the ban imposed on grant and renewal of mining leases and expansion of mining of asbestos and stated, ‘At present the ban on grant/renewal of mining leases of asbestos has not been lifted’ on December 7, 2010 in response to a question by Shri Narahari Mahato, Member of Parliament.

I submit that unmindful of the fact that over 50 countries have banned it the asbestos mining lobby from Andhra Pradesh has overwhelmed the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), a subordinate office of the Union Ministry of Mines. As a result IBM has failed resist such influence and undertaken a doctored Study recommending lifting of ban on asbestos mining.

I submit that draft guidelines laying down the safeguards for mining of asbestos for allowing grant/renewal of mining leases of asbestos based on the recommendations of such Study supposedly in consultation with Central Pollution Control Board and Directorate General of Mines Safety is motivated.  

I submit that it has come to light through Right to Information application and admitted in the Parliament by the Union Ministers of Labour and Environment that the studies conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahemedabad was funded by the chrysotile asbestos industry. The same holds true for the study by IBM.

I submit that on August 18,2003, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs informed the Parliament that: "Studies by the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad, have shown that long-term exposure to any type of asbestos can lead to development of asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma." This was not the first official acknowledgment of the asbestos hazard. Government of India's Office Memorandum NO.6 (6)/94 - Cement, (Sept 1, 1994) of the Ministry of Industry states: "The Department has generally not been recommending any case of Industrial License to any new unit for the creation of fresh capacity of asbestos products in the recent past due to the apprehension that prolonged exposure to asbestos leads to serious health hazards".

I submit that the asbestos industry’s denial of harm has aptly been summarized by Professor David Ozonoff, School of Public Health, Boston University as under:

Asbestos does not hurt your health.

 OK, it does hurt your health, but it does not cause cancer.

 OK, Asbestos can cause cancer, but not our formulation of Asbestos.

OK, our kind of Asbestos can cause cancer, but not the kind of cancer this person got.

 OK, our kind of Asbestos can cause that kind of cancer, but not at the doses to which this person was exposed.

OK, Asbestos does cause cancer, and at this dosage, but this person got their disease from something else.

OK, the person was exposed to our Asbestos and it did cause their cancer, but we did not know about the danger when we exposed them.

OK, we knew about the danger when we exposed the person, but the statute of limitations has run out.

OK, the statute of limitations has not run out, but if we are guilty, we will go out of business and everyone will be worse off.

OK, we will go out of business, but only if you let us keep part of our company intact, and only if you limit our liability for the harms we have caused.

I submit that globally asbestos industry and asbestos producers like Russia and Canada stand exposed.  

In the light of the above mentioned findings and developments, in short, I
1. Request you to ensure that Rashtrapati Bhavan and Governors’ House in States be made asbestos free at the earliest

2. Make buildings of our Armed Forces asbestos free

3. Ensure medical check of workers, consumers and citizens who handle asbestos products or are in its vicinity and work towards a just transition of workers with compensation to the affected workers and citizens
4. Prepare a Register of asbestos handlers and victims and award a compensation of at least Rs 20 lakh for the asbestos victims
5. Issue an appeal to the National Human Rights Commission and all the State Human Rights Commissions of the country to adopt the path-breaking order of the Kerala Human Rights Commission with immediate effect
6. Protect the human rights of the asbestos exposed workers and recommend setting up of a Compensation Fund for occupationally and non-occupationally exposed victims of asbestos related diseases

7. Recommend creation of adequate environmental and occupational health infrastructure

8. Urge you to put an end to the use of the of all kinds of asbestos products that is being used and encountered daily, because none of the schools, offices, legislatures, courts, hospitals, automobiles, private and public buildings in our country are asbestos free.

I will be happy to meet you and share reference documents in this regard.

Thanking You

Yours faithfully

Gopal Krishna,

Convener

ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)

Mb: 9818089660

Email: krishna1715@gmail.com

Web: toxicswatch.blogspot.com

Cc

Chairman, Public Accounts Committee

Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) of India

Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance    

Vice President of India & Chairman, Rajya Sabha

Speaker, Lok Sabha, New Delhi

Members of Parliament

Secretary to the President of India
Chief Minister, Government of Bihar
Chief Minister, Government of Tripura
Chief Minister, Government of Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu
Chief Minister, Government of Punjab
Chief Minister, Government of Goa
Chief Minister, Government of West Bengal
Chief Minister, Government of Madhya Pradesh
Chief Minister, Government of Odisha
Chief Minister, Government of Jharkhand
Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India
Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs
Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law & Justice
Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence
Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs
Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture
Lt Governor, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi
Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh
Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar
Chief Secretary, Government of Chattisgarh
Chief Secretary, Government of Goa
Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat
Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana,
Chief Secretary, Government of Himachal Pradesh
Chief Secretary, Government of Jammu and Kashmir
Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand
Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka
Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala
Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh
Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra
Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha
Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab
Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan
Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu
Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh
Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand
Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal
Chief Secretary, Government of Puducherry
Chief Secretary, Government of Arunachal Pradesh
Chief Secretary, Government of Assam
Chief Secretary, Government of Manipur
Chief Secretary, Government of Meghalaya
Chief Secretary, Government of Mizoram
Chief Secretary, Government of Nagaland
Chief Secretary, Government of Sikkim
Chief Secretary, Government of Tripura
Chief Secretary, Government of Andaman and Nicobar (UT)
Administrator, Government of Dadra and Nagar Haveli (UT)
Administrator, Government of Daman and Diu (UT)
Administrator, Government of Lakshadweep (UT)

WORLD SIKH ORGANIZATION AND OTHER SOUTH ASIAN BODIES MUST PRESSURE BALJIT CHADHA TO STOP TRYING TO EXPORT CANCER-CAUSING ASBESTOS TO INDIA!

Asian Journal, Rattan Mall, editor, September 21, 2012

Baljit Chadha: Why does this man want to kill poor Indians with cancer-causing asbestos? AS reported in this newspaper last week, the federal government was forced to reverse its position on supporting export of the cancer-causing asbestos. Federal Industry Minister Christian Paradis said the government will no longer oppose the listing of chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous substance under the Rotterdam Convention and that Ottawa would fork out $50 million to enable asbestos mine workers to retrain in other fields of work.
That was because Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government was put to shame by the Parti Quebecois boss Pauline Marois who so boldly took a principled stand against asbestos mining and exports during the election campaign (just the opposite of what that SPINELESS and UNPRINCIPLED then-Liberal Premier Jean Charest did) and still won the Quebec provincial election.
And, of course, our South Asian Conservative Party MPs - minister of state Bal Gosal (Bramalea-Gore Malton), minister of state Tim Uppal (Edmonton-Sherwood Park), parliamentary secretary Deepak Obhrai (Calgary East), Devinder Shory (Calgary Northeast), Parm Gill (Brampton-Springdale), and Nina Grewal (Fleetwood-Port Kells) – couldn’t do anything about this!
What a disgrace!
While our BROWN brothers and sisters proved so impotent, it took a WHITE sister to show guts and kick the Conservatives’ (and the Quebec Liberals’) butt!
Marois has vowed to cancel the $58-million loan guarantee that Charest the LOSER had offered to restart Canada’s only asbestos mine.

NEWSPAPERS SLAM HARPER FOR HYPOCRISY
THE National Post newspaper had a dig at Harper in a story titled “It takes a Quebec separatist to close an asbestos mine.”
Kelly McParland noted bluntly: “It hurts, but it has to be said: Pauline Marois hasn’t even been sworn in as premier yet and she’s already shown more leadership and judgement on Quebec’s asbestos industry than any of her predecessors, or anyone in Ottawa.” She added: “Canadians wouldn’t go near a home built with asbestos. The health risks are real and widely known. For Canada to keep producing the stuff and selling it to less cautious industries in developing countries was unconscionable. That it was propped up by politicians for the sake of a few thousand votes in one Quebec community was obnoxious, to put it mildly.”
And Toronto Star’s David Olive pointed out: “Marois pledges to instead redirect those funds to the economic diversification of Asbestos [that is the name of the town where the asbestos mine is located] and nearby Thetford Mines, once the world’s biggest asbestos-producing region. And to no longer prop up a fading industry complicit in the ESTIMATED 107,000 DEATHS EACH YEAR from asbestos exposure, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Almost all of the victims are in developing world countries.” [Capitalization mine for emphasis.]
Olive noted bluntly: “Canada’s hypocrisy on asbestos has long been malodorous. ... Harper has been spending MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to remove the last traces of asbestos in the Parliament Buildings and his official residence at 24 Sussex Drive. ... [U.S. President] Barack Obama’s start in public life was organizing public-housing residents in Chicago’s gritty South Side to successfully lobby City Hall to remove asbestos from their homes.”

BALJIT CHADHA’S DISGRACEFUL ROLE
IT sure makes me want to puke when I hear Canadians try to make fun of the Americans for this or that when we have been instrumental in KILLING SO MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE in developing countries, ESPECIALLY INDIA, even though we were fully aware of the deadly nature of asbestos!
We talk about preventing terrorism – what about OUR ASBESTOS TERRORISM all over the world all these decades?!
The 2008 figures for Canada’s asbestos exports show that ALMOST 43 PER CENT of that poisonous material worth $44 million went to India.
We have people like Kathleen Ruff, founder, RightOnCanada.ca and senior human-rights adviser with the Ottawa-based Rideau Institute, to thank for relentlessly fighting against Canada mining and exporting asbestos.
On the other hand, we HANG OUR SOUTH ASIAN HEADS IN SHAME because of businessmen like BALJIT CHADHA.
Back in October 2011 in an article titled “Yes, Mr. Baljit Chadha, You Are Exporting Death To India – And Shame On You!” I wrote:
“It boggles my mind that Baljit Chadha, the man behind the DEADLY asbestos exports from Quebec to India, can be so SHAMELESS when it comes to making money that he actually claims that the cancer-causing material that is BANNED in Canada is safe! “ ... Chadha told the Globe and Mail newspaper in September: “I have done a lot of soul-searching on this and have come to a conclusion that we are not exporting death.”
“REALLY, Mr. Chadha?
“Do you REALLY believe that in spite of all the evidence out there – and which I will once again present to my readers here?
“The Globe and Mail said Chadha “combines an almost evangelical fervour for asbestos with the clout needed to pull off his controversial plan.”
“Mr. Chadha, I guess money can perform miracles!
“Chadha, in fact, was rebuked by Ivan Ivanov, the team leader of occupational health at the WHO Department of Public Health and Environment, this week for DISTORTING its position on the safety of asbestos.
“He told the Globe and Mail: “There is no safe threshold of exposure to all forms of asbestos.”
“He said WHO wants a stop to the use of all types of asbestos as the most efficient way to get rid of all asbestos-related diseases.
“Dr. Ivanov said: “Even very low levels can affect the cells and the genetic system of the body.” And he added: “The information about what the WHO considers as safe and not safe should come from WHO and not from the industry that is using the material.” “ ... Chadha needs to give his thick skull a REAL BIG SHAKE.”

WSO AND OTHERS MUST SPEAK UP
IN spite of all that has happened, it was extremely disturbing to read a Montreal Gazette report on Monday titled “It’s business as usual, asbestos company says” that said Balcorp Ltd., the company that received the $58-million loan, says that the mine will be relaunched next spring!
A company spokesperson told the newspaper: “The status remains unchanged as far as the mine is concerned.” He noted that Balcorp had already received at least $7 million of the loan.
So it seems that Baljit Chadha is hell-bent on going ahead with the cancer-causing terrorism!
This is where South Asian bodies such as the WORLD SIKH ORGANIZATION should step forward and OPENLY oppose Chadha’s move.
Otherwise, the WSO and all South Asian organizations will lose all MORAL authority with Canadians. Their pleas against this or that racist incident will be nothing but HYPOCRITICAL.
It is very easy to accuse the white guys of racism when they try to harm us, but what are we South Asians doing about our own BROWN guys trying to kill Indians in India?
Don’t you have any guts to speak out – or will you try to weasel your way out by making up some excuse or the other?
Remember, this is all about your credibility – once you lose it, no Canadian will take you seriously!
- RATTAN MALL EditorAsianJournal@gmail.com

http://www.asianjournal.ca/sep%2021_12/roar_1.html