In the UK we have responded to the threat caused by asbestos. There are now strict guidelines and rules in place for its handling and removal. In other developing countries the knowledge and governance of such a hazardous material is far behind the west.
In India, asbestos is still used because of its "benefits". If you ever see pictures of slums in India, all those makeshift roofs are probably manufactured from asbestos, meaning the people who are sheltered by them are subject to asbestos dust and water contamination on a daily basis. The fact asbestosis is a problem in the country should come as no surprise.
While the UK has banned the use of asbestos, India still imports it in large quantities (322,200 metric tons in 2009) before it is turned into cheap corrugated roofing. Why is such a dangerous material so popular? Because it is both cheap and fuels a manufacturing industry that employs around 100,000 people.
Slowly the Indian people are waking up to the dangers of asbestos as more families have relatives becoming terminally ill because of it. Plastic is now sought out to sit underneath the corrugated roofing, and new factories being built to manufacture asbestos-based products are being increasingly protested and blocked.
Legislation in India is desperately needed to govern its use, but seems to be forgotten about when asbestos means new jobs and income for the population and government.
To get the full story visit The Star website and read the article "Slow Poison of asbestos chokes Indian workers"
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