All forms of asbestos are human health hazard because of their cancer causing nature. The white asbestos related diseases are increasing in frequency. White asbestos causes lung cancer; mesothelioma, an otherwise rare cancer of the chest lining; and fibrosis of the lung (asbestosis), a progressive disease involving scarring of lung tissues. All have lengthy latency periods, ranging from ten to thirty years.

According to the January 31, 2004 issue of the British Medical Journal, there is nothing one can do now to prevent it in workers exposed to asbestos throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. In the developed world alone 100 000 people alive now will die from it even though asbestos is banned. But in developing countries like India import of asbestos continues unmindful of the mesothelioma epidemic world over without even any Register, which can inform as to how, many are suffering and dying because of it.

Although it is reassuring for the developed world that there will be decline in the coming decades but there is no such reassurance for India where asbestos use continues to grow, and where its impact is being dismissed in favour of the more immediate need for employment and economic growth.

In the USA asbestos use has fallen to less than 100g per citizen per year, while working in India last year I was shocked to see asbestos sheeting in widespread use, especially as a cheap roofing material by the poor – even hospital wards were built in this way. Often those working with the material (much of which is imported from Canada) receive little protection, and while compensation is theoretically available to workers who become ill, medical screening is grossly inadequate, rightly observes Thomas Selmes, Final Year Medical Student, University of Leicester Medical School, University Road, Leicester.

Mesothelioma is a relatively slow growing tumour that most commonly originates in the lung but can also arise in the abdomen and the tunica vaginalis. The diagnosis can be difficult to prove. Once made there is tendency for the diagnosis to be met with a sense of hopelessness because it is a horrible disease, often with months of unremitting pain and the inevitability of death.

One in every hundred men born in the 1940s will die of die of malignant pleural mesothelioma, which is almost exclusively a consequence of exposure to asbestos, with a lag time that is rarely less than 25 years and often more than 50 years from first exposure. Half of all cases are now aged over 70, with 80% in men. For a man first exposed as a teenager, who remained in a high-risk occupation, such as insulation, throughout his working life, the lifetime risk of mesothelioma can be as high as one in five.

The statistics indicate that 25% of deaths will be in men who worked in the building industry and that carpenters and joiners are most commonly afflicted. These men have often been self employed in small enterprises or engaged in do it yourself home improvements. About 90% of deaths due to mesothelioma are due to exposure to asbestos in unmonitored settings. Wives and daughters who washed the overalls of asbestos workers are among those who have died.

Even improper asbestos removal practices, employees, knocked asbestos off pipes and boilers with high-power fire hoses, washed the contaminated water down drains and dropped dry asbestos insulation from heights, creating clouds of asbestos dust. Workers are exposed to significant amounts of hazardous asbestos fibers. In the past it was viewed as a lifesaver until realization of the fact that, in the lung, its microscopic fibers are lethal.

Asbestos exposures to the workers and common man consequent from mining, construction and demolition, shipyards, tiling, electrical insulation, paving, and brake linings, among other industries and products. Over the years, many millions of workers have been exposed to asbestos.

The present system is not working for asbestos victims and employees. Asbestos manufacturers argued that a committee set up by the Union industry ministry in 1995 had said that asbestos could be used, if it did not contain chrysolite elements. Experts fear that the world over, 550,000 workers will be affected by asbestos related diseases in the next 10 years; 240,000 of these will be in India alone.
In India, the entire requirement of raw material, chrysotile, about 1.10 lakh tonnes, is being imported every year mainly from Canada, Brazil, Zimbabwe, and Russia to make asbestos cement sheets in 42 factories in India. The sector as such employs between 30,000 and 40,000 workers. There is a 14 lakh tonnes per annum asbestos sheet market.

There are nearly 60 large and medium scale and over 350 small-scale units in the country involved in producing various asbestos-based products. The Union Environment and Labour Ministry is reported to be in the process of revising the emission standards to 0.2 fibre/cc (against one fibre per CC level limit). The Environment Ministry is reported to have urged the Labour Ministry to revise the existing limit for asbestos fibre content at workplace to 0.5 cc and further limit to 0.1 fibre/cc by January 2004 under the Factories Act.

Under the Supreme court order the family of a worker who dies of asbestos poisoning should get 100 000 rupees. Medical boards of government insurance companies have so far compensated fewer than 30 workers or their families.

Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) called for an immediate global ban on white asbestos at the recent World Social Forum and has sought a promise from the World Social Forum organisers to make the next WSF asbestos free and support global ban on asbestos of all kinds. The workshop on occupational health and safety focussed on asbestos related diseases besides references to other occupational hazards. The participants were eager to form a Global Network to Campaign for Occupational Health and Safety to seek urgent action the worsening occupational scenario.

BANI expressed shock and concern at the double speaks of the Indian government on the issue of hazards from white asbestos. Although on 18 August 2003, in the Upper House of Indian Parliament, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, had said, "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 clearly meant that asbestos is hazardous but astonishingly, Indian Government representatives objected in the Rotterdam Convention in Geneva for extending Prior Informed Consent to cover the dangerous white asbestos. The reason stated by the Indian officials - there is no substitute available to asbestos.

At the Convention from 17 to 21 November, 2003, Canada and Russia led a revolt of asbestos producing countries against the inclusion of white asbestos on the international list of chemicals subject to trade controls, despite scientific findings that this substance is harmful for human health and the environment, and in spite of the clear obligation, under the treaty, for such a listing. It seems evident that none of these officials have even heard of many substitutes available in the country.

The stance of Indian government in Geneva is contrary to the interests of Indian workers and citizens many of whom are contracting asbestos-related diseases. The trade union leaders and environmental groups shared their outrage with the callousness with which cases of asbestos related diseases are being dealt with in India.

The Indian government must learn from countries like the European Union, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, the Gambia, Congo, Egypt, Morocco and others, which support the listing of white asbestos to safeguard public health.

There is enough evidence against the material. No further proof is needed in order to ban it. Cellulose fibre, PVA fibre and steel are all substitutes for asbestos. Although expensive at first, they work out cheaper in the long run because of their long life. Apart from steel, clay, stone tiles or cement can be used for roofing.

One worker dies of occupational disease or accident every 24 seconds and at least 12000 on-job children die every year because of occupational hazards. Another is possible, the new world should be a better and healthier world for all workers.

Over the last two years the asbestos industry has been claiming, through massive advertisement campaigns, that asbestos products are manufactured under strictly ‘controlled' conditions. It would have us believe that it can control wind erosion and normal wear and tear.

Raghunath Bhai Manwar, a Ashoka fellow from Gujarat said, there are 220 cases of asbestos related diseases from places like AEC Power Plant, Gujarat, Digvijay Cement Factory (now renamed Gujarat Composites), “A” Infrastructure Limited, Bhilwara, Mining unit Udaipur region. In Tamil Nadu there are 35 cases of confirmed asbestos victims. These cases are based on studies by Dr S R Kamat, former Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Chief, Environmental Pollution Research Centre, K.E.M. Hospital and Seth G.S. College, Bombay.

A special feature "Scientific findings squash asbestos cement myth at International Conference" is appearing repeatedly in the Indian newspapers to say that white asbestos is safe. Editors such as Shekhar Gupta, Dr Sanjay Baru, N Ram and T. N. Ninan, have allowed their newspapers to be used by the naked lust for money of the white asbestos merchants with scant regard to their fellow citizens health on 24th January, 21st January, 17 January, 20th Janury and 9th January, 2004 in The Indian Express, The Financial Express, The Hindu, The Hindu Business Line and Business Standard respectively.

I had attended the conference in question held on 11 and 12 November 2003 where the participants were declared the ambassadors of White Asbestos in the backdrop both Indian Express and The Times of India group of publications carrying features glorifying asbestos cement industry. The former's claim of standing for the journalism is hollow and the latter's "Truth must prevail" mast head is an empty slogan if they feel that white asbestos is safe despite indisputable evidence. These publications are making profit over the dead bodies of the asbestos exposed victims.

Even as International Labour Organisation (ILO) expresses its view seeking all 177 member countries to ban asbestos with immediate stress on banning of children working/handling asbestos in any facilities by all its member countries in Bangkok, Clemant Godbout, chairman of Asbestos International Association (AIA), Canada who clearly appeared to be under immense pressure from the growing movement seeking ban on asbestos said, Rotterdam Convention is bad. It’s a problem. Its big mistake against a good product. Canada proposes objection to the Convention along with the group of over 60 countries where white asbestos is being used.

In the plenary session of SAICM (strategic approach to international chemicals management) organised by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Bangkok, Dr Jukka Takala, Director, InFocus Prog on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment, SafeWork-ILO in a statement said: "The ILO has updated its estimates on global accidents and diseases related to work. Out of 2 million work-related fatalities, we have estimated using an Australian method that 440 00 are caused by hazardous substances and lack of chemical safety. A great majority of them take place in agriculture and informal sector in developing countries. A single substance, asbestos, causes some 100 000 of these fatalities"

Towards the end of the two day conference during 10-11 November 2003 which took place in Taj Palace, New Delhi, one participant asked as to how the asbestos industry is likely to react to the plan of the Environment Journalists who are planning to sue the publications like The Times of India group and The Indian Express group for carrying asbestos advertisements. Brig. V Pattabhi, Business Consultant, Building Products, India replied on behalf of the Asbestos Cement Products Manufacturers’ that the advertisments were infact articles written by the journalists and asbestos cases in courts brings the asbestos industry publicity.

Even as the widow of Kodanthan Pani Azhakappan whose husband died after 28 years of service in Shree Digvijay Cement Co. Ltd explained how her husband died of asbestos exposure in Paharganj, the conference was telling the world that white asbestos is safe.

Godbout said, there is a big difference between amphibole and chrysotile. The chrysotile is the reality. We are working with safer usage. There products like cellulose and Poly viny Alcohol which can replace it but is it more durable, cheaper. He asked, can anyone prove that white asbestos is less safer tahn the aternatives? We want answer and proof. The principles of safe use must be applied. Only few countries have banned it. We respece their right to ban it but they must also respect our right to use it.

Godbout said, the two days International Conference on Chrysotile Asbestos Cement Products is the best conference he has ever attended. AIA will hold another meeting as we need to meet more often to strategise. We are the ambassadors of chrysotile fibre in our respective countries. These ambassadors came from countries like Russia, Kazalkstan, Greece, USA, Canada, Iran, France, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Poland, Cuba, El Salvador, South Africa, Thailand, Brazil, Phillipines, Mexico, Belgium and Indonesia.

"Indian asbestos cement industry is growing with an annual turnover of Rs 2000 crores and has immense potential but there has been opposition from few sections of the society regarding the use of chrysotile asbestos cement products which need to be addressed. India only chrysotile (white) asbestos is used and most of it in manufacture of cement based products so it is of importance to know the health consequence of this particular usage", says A K Saraf, chairman, ACPMA.

The 11th November ACPMA Press Release said, asbestos cement products are environment friendly and are produced under controlled conditions which are safe for human beings. The low cost pollution control equipment's, progress and limitations of subsitute fibres were discussed.

ACPMA and Asbestos Information Centre (AIC) are one and the same as is evident from their Press Release. But interestingly, the Release says, AIC is a non-profit organisation which was formed on 1980 under Society's Registration Act 1860. AIC is attached to Asbestos International Association, USA having 32 countries as its members. In 1985, the members of AIC manufacturing asbestos cement products formed an association ACPMA registered with Registrar of Society. ACPMA has 13 members with 34 manufacturing units located in various states providing direct and indirect employment to one lakh persons.

ACPMA has claimed that they have briefed Sharad Yadav, Consumer Affairs Minister, Arun Jaitley, Commerce and Industry Minister. It has given presentation to the Environment Ministry, Central Pollution Control Board. It is the member of the Ad hoc Panel constituted by Bureau of Indian Standards. It has launched a Public Relations campaign through PR agencies through ads in National Dailies like Hindustan Times, Economic Times and advertorials in magazines. Earlier The Times of India and The Economic Times carried also chose to put profit above public health by carrying features saying white asbestos is safe

Also I wish to point out the blatant inaccuracy in the statements of Asbestos Cement Products Manufacturers' Association version of "only blue asbestos causing mesothelioma". One needs to only go through WTO's order on the issue.... to know the reality about all forms of asbestos being cancer causing.

United Nations Environment Program’s Interim Chemical Review Committee’s fourth session held in Rome from March 3-7, 2003 came up with draft decision guidance documents on asbestos mentioning that white asbestos is carcinogenic to humans according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and quotes the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) classifying white asbestos as “a known human carcinogen”. European Union has banned all forms of asbestos.

The World Health Organisation (WHO)’s International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), Environment Health Criteria 203 advocates protection from exposure to chrysotile asbestos as it poses increased risks for asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Where safer substitute materials for chrysotile asbestos are available, they should be considered for use, it adds.

Is it not possible for these newspapers to carry full-page public interest view since The Indian Express, The Financial Express, The Hindu, The Hindu Business Line and Business Standard has already carried the industry's view? The latest to carry the same feature is Jansatta, a Hindi newspaper of Indian Express group. Asbestos is banned in more than 30 countries and also there is a WTO judgement against it.

Is it ethical to term something which is manifestly poisonous as non-poisonous?. There is a real danger that this entirely preventable yet devastating disease will further exacerbate global inequalities in health. Surely, prevention is better than cure but the Indian government in general and the Commerce and Industry Ministry, Labour Ministry and Environment Ministry in particular thinks otherwise.