NEW DELHI - Medical experts in New Delhi have accused the Canadian government of exporting death in the form of asbestos. Dr. T.K. Joshi, head of the country’s environmental and occupational environment, said that more than 100,000 Indian workers are exposed to chrysotile asbestos imported from Canada each day at work. The Indian medical community has referred to Canada’s export of a known carcinogen to developing companies “criminal”.

Asbestos has been used for centuries in many different construction uses, but it didn’t really come into its own until the end of the 1800s. From about 1850 to 1980, asbestos was so widely used in home and public building construction that some estimate there are few buildings standing from those years that don’t contain asbestos.

Those who worked with and around asbestos, however, faced a deadly risk. The inhalation of dust containing asbestos fibers is linked to a deadly cancer, mesothelioma. The link between asbestos and mesothelioma is well-established, and has led to strict safety precautions and outright bans in the United States and most European countries.

Joshi said that most Indian workers don’t follow those safety precautions, in large part because the companies don’t follow labor standards. Because the population is largely poor and/or uneducated, there is no one to hold the businesses accountable for exposing workers to the deadly fibers.

The end result, say doctors like Joshi, are hundreds of workers dying of exposure to chrysotile asbestos exposure, with diseases like mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and pleural fibrosis. Most cases, however, are never documented, and fewer than 30 workers in India have been compensated for asbestos related illness.

Joshi says he is baffled. Canadian chrysotile asbestos makes up about 34% of the asbestos used in India. The Canadian asbestos is used to make concrete water pipes, metal roofing and hundreds of other products. Yet, he says, there is no major economic advantages to the export of asbestos from Canada.

“It would be far better if the Canadian government not only stops the export of asbestos, but joins hands with us to stop the use of asbestos everywhere.”

The discussion of asbestos took place at a three day occupational health seminar in New Delhi. The seminar was attended by about 75 doctors from across India who gathered to discuss the serious health threats that affect workers. The conference called on the Canadian government to stop the export of asbestos and support a worldwide ban on using asbestos.

To date, 40 nations have banned all asbestos imports. Those countries include Australia, Argentina, South Africa, Japan and the European Union.

Joshi is not alone in demanding that the Canadian government stop exporting the deadly substance. The Canadian Cancer Society called on the Canadian legislature to ban all use and exports of chrysotile asbestos.

A spokesman for Natural Resources Canada responded by pointing out that chrysotile fibers are far less dangerous than other forms of asbestos no longer mined or used in Canada. If proper safety procedures are followed, the NRC spokesperson said, chrysotile asbestos presents a minimal health risk to workers.

“Canada believes that a general ban on chrysotile would drive countries from a useful product whose risks are well known and can be managed through controlled use, to substitutes that can be poorly regulated,” the spokesman said n in a statement. “Chrysotile can provide cost-effective products to developing countries.”

Canada exports about 200,000 tonnes of asbestos a year, nearly all to developing countries, since most other countries have banned the import of asbestos. Pat Martin, the NDP MP for Winnipeg, said that Canada is a “national pariah” for its crusades to keep asbestos off the international list of hazardous materials.

About 100,000 people die worldwide each year from mesothelioma.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 23rd, 2007 at 7:02 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.