The number of patients suffering from asbestosis , bronchial and alimentary tract carcinoma, mesothelioma and other diseases caused by asbestos was steadily increasing in India but no steps were being taken by the government of India (GOI) to ban its use. | |
| Most developed and some developing countries like Japan, United States, Argentina and Chile had either banned or were close to banning both mining and use of asbestos owing to the health hazards. |
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| India's consumption was at 1,25,000 tonnes a year, more than 90 per cent of which was imported. |
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| In fact, steps to encourage import of asbestos had at times been notified by GOI, said Barry I Castleman, an environmental activist attached with several organisations in the US, at an seminar "Asbestos: A historical case study of corporate response to an industrial health hazard" organised by the Institute of Engineers (IE). He cited examples of companies which banned to use of asbestos in their home country but exported products to India . |
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| Lack of regulatory framework helped some to take advantage of developing countries problems. |
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| The high cost of compensating affected workers in US had brought down consumption to 4000 tonnes a year from 8,00,000 tonnes. |
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| US companies were forced to pay nearly $70 billion as compensation to workers affect by 'asbestosis'. In India, more than a lakh were affected in states like Chattisgarh, Gujarat and West Bengal but virtually no compensation had been paid. Indian companies had ignored the light of affected workers involved in asbestos mining, complained Castleman. |
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| "IE has not decided on its stand. IE is talking to affected people and trying to find alternatives. Lack of fund is a big constraint," said A K Mazumdar of IE. |
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| A report on the use had been submitted recently to the World Bank. The bodies concerned were in talks with the Bank for its intervention, Castleman said. |
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