Present status of asbestos mining and related health problems in India--a survey

Our plain-English summary of Present status of asbestos mining and related health problems in India--a survey, by A.L. Ramanathan, V. Subramanian (Industrial Health, 2001).

The study

• Authors: A.L. Ramanathan, V. Subramanian
• Journal: Industrial Health
• Published: 2001;39(4):309-15
• Cited by: 17 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

At present in India more than thirty mines are in operation. It produces 2800 tones of asbestos per month (mainly chrysotile and tremolite) and in recent years substantial quantity (-70%) is imported from Canada. The quality of asbestos produced in India is very poor. The mining and milling and other related processes expose the people to cancer and related diseases. Women are more affected by their exposure in processing unit compared to male who are generally working in mines. Direct and indirect employment in asbestos related industry and mine is around 100,000 workers. Latency period (length of the time between exposure and the onset of diseases) in India is estimated to be 20-37 yr. The causes for lung and breathing problem are mainly due to obsolete technology and direct contact with the asbestos products without proper precaution, because in India asbestos are sold without statutory warning. This paper reviews health effects (such as fibrosis, sequelae, bronchogenic cancer, and malignant mesothelioma) on the Indian mine workers caused due to asbestos mining related activities with respect to their present day condition.

In plain English

This article is a review. The authors brought together published studies, government statistics and other sources on asbestos mining and health problems in India. They reported that more than 30 mines were operating in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, with chrysotile mined mainly in Andhra Pradesh and tremolite, an amphibole, in Rajasthan. National production peaked at about 2800 tonnes per month in 1990 to 1995 and then fell to 1800 tonnes per month as imports from Canada grew. Citing earlier surveys of two types of mills in Andhra Pradesh, they reported fiber levels several times above India's limit of 2 fibers/ml at every location. Drawing on a 1996 study of 633 workers (513 men, 120 women), they reported that restrictive lung impairment was the most common pattern (70%). Both chest X-rays and lung function tests were abnormal in 29.2% of the women, compared with 6.3% of the men. Almost all women worked in milling and processing rather than mining. The authors concluded that health damage came more from processing units than from mines, and they called for stricter control of imported asbestos and of milling.

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: Review article: a synthesis of existing data on asbestos mining and health in India
• Who was studied: Indian asbestos mining and milling workers. The health data reviewed came from 633 workers (513 male, 120 female) described in an earlier study (Dave et al., 1996). Fiber measurements came from mills in Andhra Pradesh.
• Exposure: Asbestos mining and milling: chrysotile (serpentine) mined mainly in Andhra Pradesh and tremolite (amphibole) in Rajasthan, plus imported Canadian asbestos processed in India
• Main results:
  • Indian asbestos production peaked at about 2800 tonnes per month in 1990 to 1995, then fell to 1800 tonnes per month, which the authors attributed to large-scale imports from Canada.
  • In the two types of mills in Andhra Pradesh reported from earlier surveys, fiber levels were several times higher than the limit of 2 f/ml at all locations.
  • Women hardly worked in mines (about one percent). They worked in the milling and processing units.
  • Among workers with impaired lung function, the restrictive pattern was the most common (70%), compared with the obstructive pattern (18%) and a mixed pattern (around 12%).
  • Of the 513 male workers, 61.3% had both chest X-ray and lung function tests normal and 6.3% had both abnormal.
  • Of the 120 female workers, 24% had both tests normal and 29.2% had both abnormal.
  • 282 (54.9%) of the 513 male workers and 22 (18.3%) of the 120 female workers were smokers.
  • Pulmonary tuberculosis was detected in six workers, all male.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, although fiber levels were lower at mine sites, health damage arose more from exposure in processing units, and that stricter control measures were needed for importing asbestos and processing it in milling units.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Chrysotile, Tremolite, Latency, Fibrosis, Bronchogenic Carcinoma, Malignant Mesothelioma.

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• Respiratory cancer in chrysotile textile and mining industries: exposure inferences from lung analysis — P. Sebastien, J.C. McDonald, et al. (1989)

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