Experts converge in state to discuss risks of asbestos use
Gopal Krishna
Experts converge in state to discuss risks of asbestos use
Experts from the US, Japan and South Korea have converged in the state for an international conference on environmental hazards. On Tuesday, they held meetings with the Ahmedabad Physician Association and the Ahmedabad Chest Physician Association over the prevalence of asbestos pleural plaque—a type of disease caused by exposure to asbestos.
An RTI query filed by one Raghunath Manvar with the Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI) in August had revealed that 39 cases of Pleural Mesothelioma and three of Peritoneal Mesothelioma due to exposure to asbestos were reported in the state. In his query, Manvar had also asked where the cases were reported from, but the GCRI has not responded to that.
He said the institute has called him for a meeting this month.
“Doctors should be properly trained to treat diseases caused by exposure to asbestos. Experts from the US, Japan and South Korea will be meeting physicians working for the government and the private sector,” Manvar said. Barry Castleman, the environmental consultant to World Bank on asbestos use corroborated Manvar’s point of view.
He said: “The use of asbestos had dropped by half in the 1990’s from 5,000 million metric tonnes per annum to 2,000 million metric tonnes. But it has remained constant after that because countries like India and China are now increasingly using it.”
Castleman is in Ahmedabad till Wednesday to attend an international conference titled ‘Preventing Emerging Occupational and Environmental Risks in South Asia and
Beyond’, from December 17 onwards.
Incidentally, the Supreme Court had ordered all hazardous units and the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad to keep tabs on the health records of workers in 1995. But Castleman has hardly noticed any active approach in India as of now.
“The Alang Shipbreaking Yard is yet another issue in Gujarat that should be given utmost attention. The problem in India is prevention and compensation to the workers in the industries where asbestos is used. The Government of India has less import duty on asbestos other than its alternatives (polyvinyl alcohol) imported from Japan. There is a need to discourage asbestos,” Castleman said.
Kerala has taken the lead in bringing an end to asbestos use. There is just one asbestos unit run by the state government. But the Gujarat government has now sought Castleman’s help to look for alternatives.
“It is the responsibility of the states to ban asbestos. Government support is required in this issue,” he said.