Indian groups demand ban on asbestos

Our plain-English summary of Indian groups demand ban on asbestos, by D.C. Sharma (Lancet, 2002).

The study

• Author: D.C. Sharma
• Journal: Lancet
• Published: 2002;359(9315):1414
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This is a short news report in The Lancet, not a research study, and it gives no health data. The author reported that the Delhi branch of the Indian Association of Occupational Health, together with activists from other countries, called for a ban on asbestos mining, manufacture, use and trade in India. Delegates at an international symposium on the health effects of hazardous materials, held in New Delhi on April 13, adopted a resolution. It urged the government to close asbestos mining and milling immediately and to provide medical follow-up and compensation to affected workers. A non-governmental organisation, Toxics Links, was quoted as saying that one-fifth of India's asbestos supply was mined in India and the rest imported. The sector was thought to employ 6000 workers directly and 100 000 indirectly, figures Toxics Links called grossly underestimated. Asbestos was described as mainly used for water and sewage pipes, motor vehicle brake linings and power-plant machinery. On April 14, groups launched the Ban Asbestos Network of India. Its aims included helping victims claim compensation and creating a public mesothelioma registry.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: news report (not a research study)
• Who was studied: Indian medical community represented by the Delhi branch of the Indian Association of Occupational Health (IAOH), and activists from other countries, at a symposium in New Delhi on April 13 (2002)
• Exposure: Asbestos (fiber type not named) mined and imported in India, mainly used in water and sewage pipes, brake linings for motor vehicles, and power-plant machinery
• Main results:
  • The symposium resolution urged the Indian government to close asbestos mining and milling immediately, to provide medical follow-up and compensation to affected workers, and supported a ban on manufacture and use of asbestos and asbestos products
  • According to Toxics Links, one-fifth of India's asbestos supply was mined in India and the rest imported
  • The sector was thought to employ 6000 workers directly and 100 000 indirectly; Ravi Agarwal of Toxics Links said these figures were grossly underestimated because of illegal mining and production in the unorganised sector
  • Tushaar Kant Joshi, chairman of IAOH's scientific committee, said there had been a significant change in the attitude of the medical community, referring to opposition Joshi faced when demanding the ban at the IAOH meeting the previous year
  • On April 14, NGOs launched the Ban Asbestos Network of India to raise public awareness, press for a complete ban, help victims claim compensation and find alternative employment, and work towards a publicly accessible mesothelioma registry

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Asbestosis.

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