PRESS RELEASE
Buying Asbestos is buying Cancer: Chairman, Bihar Legislative Council
Asbestos companies indulging in corporate
crimes: Dr Barry Castleman
Patna/ December 24, 2012: Inaugurating
the Conference on Environmental and Occupational Health, Shri Awadesh
Narain Singh, Chairman, Bihar Legislative Council expressed grave concern about
the lack of environmental and occupational infrastructure in the face of
environmental exposures that present and future generations face. He favoured
phasing of hazardous factories in public interest if they cause incurable but
preventable diseases. He admitted the dangers of asbestos exposures. He said,
“buying asbestos is akin to buying cancer. I will get asbestos
removed from my residence.”
He said that struggle against asbestos
factories in Vaishali and Bhojpur is a learning experience. He announced that
he would convene an environmental conference in the auditorium of the Bihar
Legislative Council after January 25, 2012. He added, “the ache of asbestos
hazards is worse than the ache of unemployment.”
The conference adopted Patna Declaration seeking
environmental, occupational health infrastructure and Prohibition on all forms
of asbestos based products.
Former consultant of World Health Organisation
(WHO) and World Bank, Dr Barry Castleman disclosed why asbestos-related
lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposures
“can only be prevented by adopting alternatives of asbestos. It is
estimated that several thousands of deaths can be attributed annually to
exposure to asbestos in the living environment.” Dr Castleman is a fellow
Collegium Ramazzini, USA and author, Medical & Legal Aspects of Asbestos. He
said, “Asbestos companies indulging in corporate crimes”.
In his observation, Prof. Qamar Rahman,
Visiting Professor, Rostock University Germany, formerly with Institute of
Toxicological Research Centre, Lucknow stated that it is impossible to use
asbestos based products safely. Human biology is the same everywhere. If it is
carcinogenic for over 50 countries, how Indians be deemed immune from it.
Justice (Retd) Rekha Kumari, Patna High Court
contended that companies which willfully expose human beings to cancer causing
fibers of asbestos must be made criminally liable because right to health is
part of right to life.
Prof Ishwari Prasad, former Professor,
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) argued against the externalization of health
costs due to hazardous industries like asbestos industry. We cannot wait for
studies and counting of dead bodies for government to act. The global evidence
is incontrovertible.
Dr Satyajit Singh, Senior Urologist, Dr. Ruban
Group of Hospitals & Vice- President, Indian Doctors for Peace and
Development pledged support from ban asbestos movement. He had physically
visited anti-asbestos struggles.
Prof. N K Chaudhary, Department of Economics,
Patna University said that there is sufficient ground to inspire action and to
stop hazardous factories in Vaishali. If it is not stopped it reveals the
compjlicity of the head of the State.
Governments appear to be under the influence
of vested interests else there is no reason why lung related diseases should
not be prevented by prohibiting asbestos industry, Dr P N P Pal, ex-President
Indian Medical Association, Bihar Chapter.
Dr Jitendra Kumar Singh, Director, Mahavir
Cancer Sansthan and Research Center expressed concerned about the unattended
health impacts from environmental exposures.
Trade unions of the left parties have
consistently joined hands with the villagers in their struggle against
hazardous asbestos factories. Participants include trade union leaders like
Chakradhar Prasad Singh, AITUC, Shri Sarovodaya Sharma, CITU, Shri RN Thakur, AICCTU, Shri Arun Kumar Singh,
President, All India United Trade Union
Centre (AIUTUC), Bihar, Shri
Nand Kishor Singh, All India Federation of Trade Unions (New),Shri Arun
Kumar, President, The Times of India Newspaper Employees Union, Patna &
Member, Press Council of India and Shri Irfan Ahmed, President, Bihar State
Vendors Hawkers Federation.
The leaders expressed support for villagers’
movement against asbestos factories and they termed such toxic factories as
anti-people and anti-public health which must be banned as per the
recommendations of the WHO.
Prof. D M Diwakar, Director, AN Sinha
Institute of Social Studies, Patna argued for preventive approach to deal with
the impending crisis due to environmental and occupational diseases. Consent of
villagers for all the industrial activities must be considered mandatory.
Alternatives to hazardous substances should be promoted because public health
concerns are non-negotiable.
The conference urged central government to
take action on its announcement that “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" at page no. 28 of its concept paper at the two-day 5th India-EU
Joint Seminar on “Occupational Safety and Health” during 19-20 September, 2011.
In January 2012, Union Ministry of Labour set
up a Advisory Committee to implement Supreme Court order issued 15 years ago
since ILO has also made certain specific directions vide its Resolution of 2006
introducing a ban on all mining, manufacture, recycling and use of all forms of
asbestos.
The conference was critical of the central
government for announcing that “Alternatives to asbestos may be used to the
extent possible and use of asbestos may be phased out" in the Vision
Statement on Environment and Health of Union Ministry of Environment &
Forests but it continues to grant to grant environmental clearance to hazardous
asbestos factories. It was also critical of State Government which is turning a
blind eye to the public health concerns being raised in Vaishali and Bhojpur in
Bihar against the asbestos factories. Instead, fake and fabricated cases are
being lodged against the villagers who have displayed scientific temper which
the State Government has failed to show so far.
The conference called on the central
government to withdraw fiscal incentives from the asbestos industry to
discourage use of asbestos products instead of promoting it. But State
Government should act at the earliest to save the lives of its citizens without
waiting for the Central government to act.
More than 55 countries have banned asbestos to
protect the life of present and future generation of Australian citizens.
Government of India is taking steps in this direction but in installments. Some
ministries have been given conflicting signals. Government of India and State
Government should coordinate and pay heed to the wisdom available in Union
Ministry of Labour and announce immediate ban on the deadly asbestos fibers.
Case studies were presented from Rajasthan by
Rana Sengupta, by Amitabh Patra of Odisha, by Pralhad Malvadkar of Maharasthra,
by Ragunath Manwar of Gujarat and Tarkeshar Giri and Lalit Ghosh of Muzaffarpur
and Vaishali, Bihar.
The Conference on Environmental and
Occupational Health was co-organized by ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA), A N Sinha
Institute of Social Studies, Patna, Centre for Occupational and Environmental
Health, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, and PEACE, New Delhi.
For Details: Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA), Mb: 8002263335
(Patna), 09818089660 (Delhi), E-mail-krishna1715@gmail.com
Patna Declaration
Seeking
environmental, occupational health infrastructure and
Prohibition
on all forms of asbestos based products
Date: 24
December, 2012
Taking
cognizance of the human rights violation involved in exposing people to killer
asbestos
fibers and how
even if few asbestos fibre reach the right places, it causes irreversible
damage -
leading to
asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma;
Asserting the
need for inclusion of environmental and occupational health study in the
medical education;
Appreciating Union
Ministry of Labour revelation 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" at page no. 28 of its concept paper at the two-day 5th India-EU
Joint Seminar on “Occupational Safety and Health” during 19-20 September, 2011.
Recalling the Supreme
Court’s order of 1995 reiterated in 2012 seeking the Union and state governments in the
Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) vs Union of India case to
examine/review the matter with regard to asbestos exposure in tune with the
resolution of the International Labour Organisation (ILO);
Awaiting the
recommendations of Union Labour Ministry’s Advisory Committee to implement
Supreme Court order issued 15 years ago since ILO has also made certain
specific directions vide its Resolution of 2006 introducing a ban on all
mining, manufacture, recycling and use of all forms of asbestos.
Recollecting
that Supreme Court’s order of 21st January, 2011 that took cognizance of the resolutions
of ILO directing s government to take immediate preventive steps;
Endorsing World
Health Organisation’s resolution of 2005 seeking elimination of all forms of
asbestos;
Disapproving Union
Ministry of Environment & Forests Experts Appraisal Committee on Industry
for approving environmental clearance of asbestos plants;
Asserting the
fact that so far some 55 countries have banned all forms of asbestos, and are
already using
alternative building materials;
Underlining that
the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reconfirmed
that all commercial
asbestos fibers - including chrysotile, the most commercially used form of
asbestos - cause
lung cancer and mesothelioma. In addition, IARC newly confirmed that there is
sufficient
evidence that asbestos causes ovarian cancer and reconfirmed asbestos causes laryngeal
cancer;
Reminding the
Government of India and State Government that there is incontrovertible
evidence which creates a compelling logic for making India asbestos free;
Expressing
solidarity with struggles ALL ACROSS THE NATION against Asbestos Factories
All public
institutions must disclose the data regarding occupational diseases and
occupational history, it should be mandatory for all public and private
hospitals/ dispensaries and all medical practitioners.
Permanently stop
the Asbestos factories at Mahua, Vaishali , Bhojpur and other parts of Bihar
Withdraw the
cases against the protestors at Muzzafarpur and Mahua (Vaishali) and initiate
criminal proceedings against the government and factory officials
We recommend
that the Government should start efforts to decontaminate asbestos laden
buildings
including schools, hospitals, railways and others
We urge the Governments at all level to adopt policy to
not use asbestos containing building materials in Public building and adequately
compensate the victims of asbestos-related diseases,
create a
database of asbestos exposed people and victims as well as besides providing
legal and
possible medical
relief and taking preventive measures. We call on the government to create a
mesothelioma
registry and a building registry of those facilities which have asbestos.
We urge the State of Bihar to ban
Asbestos Product Use
We urge the Govt. of India to ban
Asbestos Product Use
Endorsed by:
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