Quebec, Canada and UK Urged to Stop Financial Support to White Asbestos Industry

Press Release

Quebec, Canada and UK Urged to Stop Financial Support to White Asbestos Industry

UK Govt urged to disassociate London 2012 Olympics from Dow Chemicals, BP & Rio Tinto who want to green wash their brand

New Delhi, July 10, 2012: In a letter to Jean Charest, Premier, Government of Quebec, Canada and Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, Government of Canada, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA) has expressed its sense of outrage and dismay at the announcement of a $58 million loan for revival of the Jeffrey Asbestos mine under the influence of Chrysotile Institute, a white asbestos industry funded group. Canadian High Commission has confirmed that the letter dated July 6, 2012 has been sent to their offices.

In a separate letter to Prime Minister of Government of United Kingdom his urgent intervention has been sought to stop banks, financial institutions and companies from investing in the Indian white asbestos industry. TWA has pointed out that companies like Jagjiwan Enchem Udyog Limited Company are admittedly “associated with world’s leading 150 years old reputed company M/s. Scandura Ltd., the British Belting Asbestos group of companies. Mr. Dilip J. Pandya founder promoter of the company had undergone intensive asbestos process training at M/s. Scandura Ltd., in England.” The company reveals that its Aqua Dispersion Process technology imported from BRITISH BELTING & ASBESTOS GROUP of U.K. The letter dated July 10, 2012 is attached. Such involvement of British business interests in asbestos companies is unacceptable. This also reveals a manifest case of double standard given the fact that use of asbestos is banned in UK.

Justifying asbestos trade is akin to justifying slave trade. It does not behove civilized countries like Canada and UK to endanger the lives of defenseless citizens and workers in developing country like India by exposing them to the carcinogenic fibers of white asbestos.

It is noteworthy that TWA and Ban Asbestos India campaign has purposefully persuaded several ministries of Government of India and other agencies to discourage and phase out white asbestos trade but India remains one of the key consumers of asbestos from Quebec, Russia and other countries. Years of efforts by citizen groups are beginning to yield results.

• Union Ministry of Labour has revealed that that the “Government of India is considering the ban on use of chrysotile asbestos in India to protect the workers and the general population against primary and secondary exposure to Chrysotile form of Asbestos."

• Union Ministry of Chemicals took the right step on June 21, 2011 when it disassociated India from Canada and other asbestos producing countries in order to get white asbestos listed in the UN list of hazardous materials.

• Union Ministry of Mines has technically banned asbestos mining in India.

• Union Ministry of Railways is working to make all railway platforms in India asbestos free.

• Union Ministry of Environment & Forests has announced that asbestos may be phased out.

• Union Ministry of Finance has announced that asbestos related diseases will be covered under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana but this is hardly sufficient in the absence of environmental and occupational infrastructure.

• National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to all the State Governments, Union Territories and concerned ministries of central government to file the status of asbestos disease victims and asked them why it should not be banned. The Commission has underlined that keeping inmates under asbestos roof is harmful and alternative roofs should be used.

• Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) has made recommendations seeking banning use of asbestos roofs in its order dated January 31, 2009.

• Delhi Government has banned use of asbestos roofs for new schools.

• Villagers’ protest in Muzaffarpur and Vaishali in Bihar has led to closure of asbestos factories. The construction of lung cancer causing white asbestos plants in Madhubani, West Champaran and production in Bhojpur districts is also facing resistance.

• Villagers are protesting against the proposed hazardous asbestos cement roofing factories in Sambalpur and Bargarh district of Odisha.

• Protests against asbestos factories States like Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh is going on.

• Fact finding teams visited to asbestos plant in Maksi, Madhya Pradesh and asbestos factories in Jujjuru village, Veerulapadu Mandal, Krishna district, Hyderabad Industries Ltd, IDA in Kondapalli, Ramco Industries Ltd in Ibrahimpatnam and proposed factory site of Sahyadri Industries Ltd in Narasimharaopalem in Andhra Pradesh. During the visits in July and August 2011, the team interacted with workers and victims. It emerged that there is no official documentation of their plight.

It is quite evident that the epidemic of asbestos related diseases that has led to bankruptcy of asbestos companies as a result of their liabilities cannot be ignored.

This unscientific decision of the Liberal Party-led Quebec government that was announced on June 29, 2012 by ignoring the views of World Health Organisation (WHO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), National Public Health Institute, Canadian Medical Association and Canadian Cancer Society.

It is shocking to note that Government of Quebec, Canada chose to ignore independent scientific evidence regarding white asbestos. The medical scientific fraternity has noted that your decision is based on totally incorrect reading of the WHO position. The relevant WHO position reads: “the most efficient way to eliminate asbestos-related diseases is to stop the use of all types of asbestos.”

TWA has urged the Quebec government and Canadian government to reconsider its decision and cancel the loan guarantee and help the asbestos disease affected communities in the developing countries. This decision of the Quebec government gives the impression that in Canada ether asbestos industry and the government are one entity or government is subservient to the lust for blind profit at human cost.

In its letter to UK Prime Minister, TWA has pointed out that in the U.S., Dow Chemicals Company has set aside $2.2 billion to address future asbestos-related liabilities arising out of the Union Carbide acquisition. Dow Chemical Company that purchased Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) and its Indian investments in 1999 has consistently denied inheriting any liability for the Bhopal gas disaster due to leakage of 40 tonnes of lethal methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from UCC plant into the surrounding environment, which has caused more than 20,000 deaths and 100,000 disabilities. UCC formerly made products containing asbestos, and UCC once mined asbestos for sale to customers. The mine of the UCC was sold in 1985. If Dow Chemicals can accept the asbestos liability of UCC, how can it argue that it does not have any liability of Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster? It has asked him to reconsider the association of London 2012 Olympics with questionable corporations like Dow Chemicals, BP and Rio Tinto to enhance UK’s stature as a civilized nation.

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