BWI Asbestos Conference

Transcription

1 BWI Asbests Cnference Ramamurthy Karnan President, INRLF India 6-7th May 2014 Vienna, Austria

2 India: Challenges India has the secnd highest cnsumptin rate in the wrld, and it is increasing: latest figures shw 493,000 metric tns were used in the year That is three and a half times as much as 145 thusand tns used in the year Asbests is a strng industry in India and stakes are high Mst f the wrkers in the unrganized sectr; cntract wrkers, daily wagers, migrant wrkers, unprtected and n idea f dangers Lack f Data and Statistics and Prblems in medical diagnsis; establishing ccupatinal histry.

3 Recent Develpments The Kerala High Curt in January 2012 held that the gvernment f India shuld cnsider prhibiting the imprt, manufacture and use f asbests t prevent health hazards. Asbests, including the fibre and its prducts, is banned in all develped cuntries as it is knwn t be hazardus t health and is ne f the causes f lung cancer. S India shuld think f its prhibitin, the curt said. The curt pinted ut that cunsel fr Custms, infrmed that there was n ban n the imprt f asbests fibre and related materials thugh they are hazardus t health.

4 Recent develpments India reverses stand n asbests at Rtterdam Cnventin meet n May 8 th 2013 During the fifth Cnference f Parties (COP5) in June 2011, the Indian delegatin had agreed t the listing f chrystile asbests in the PIC list, and received a standing vatin at the plenary. Civil sciety members campaigning fr a glbal ban n asbests expressed shck at India retracting frm its earlier decisin, and allege that the Indian delegatin was influenced by the industry lbby t take such a stand.

5 AREAS OF ACTION by Trade Unin Capacity Building Trade Unin Leaders Wrkers Asbests Users Public surrunding the Asbests Manufacturing Plant Gvernment Officials Media Advcacy T Implement ILO and WHO plicy n Asbests T Implement Wrld Standards in phasing ut Asbests Netwrk and Alliance Building Netwrk amng Parliamentarians, medical and legal prfessinals. T supprt victim grups fighting fr cmpensatin battles. T maintain alliances with like-minded mvements / rganizatins such as BANI, ANROAV etc.

6 Banning Asbests Rle f Trade Unins Unins are cnducting Rallies, Lcal language publicatin n Asbests, Awareness prgram fr the Trade Unin leaders, Awareness f alternative materials & Village level Study Circle Meetings. The majr resistance that the trade unin are facing are the Pwerful Pr Asbests Lbby r Manufactures Alternative materials fr Asbests at the cheaper rate Peple mindset n asbests t be changed Gvernment and Peple representatives nt aware f Harmful effects f Asbests

7 Banning Asbests: Rle f Trade Unins TCWF petitined the Gvt f Tamilnadu n 28 th April 2010 fr banning Asbests in the State as a practive step the Gvt f Tamilnadu issued ntificatin t remve Asbests Rf in Schl Building. As a result f the unin memrandum, the Gvernment annunced that Asbests rfing f 5500 primary and middle schls wuld be remved and shall be replaced by using a cmbinatin f envirnment friendly tiles, wden and irn slabs.

8 Banning Asbests Rle f Trade Unins TCWF will sn sign an agreement with Builders Assciatin f India Tamilnadu Chapter n gradually stpping the use f Asbests. Peridic meetings with Gvernment fficials n Banning Asbests in their respective state. Unins have sent letters t elected representatives f the peple n the harmful effects f Asbests in several lcal Indian languages.

9 Rle f Indian BWI Affliates In Gujarat, BMS has frmed Gujarat Accident Victims Assciatin (GAVA) IWMD event rganized n Asbests awareness in Kerala Petitin submitted t Railway authrities n dangers f Asbests Letter writing campaign t Gvernment f India t supprt listing f Chrystile during Rtterdam Cnventin Meeting at Geneva (2013) Cllabratin with OEHNI t rganize medical camp fr Asbests wrkers in Orissa state as part f medical surveillance yu culd prpse smething similar in Tamil Nadu (2014 planned)

10 Recmmendatin t Gvernment Cnstitute a multi disciplinary cmmittee t draw up an a ctin plan fr phasing ut asbests prductin and use in the cuntry. Fllw the ILO WHO Natinal Actin Plan fr Eliminatin f Asbests Diseases Wrk ut mechanisms with the state gvernments fr lng term medical surveillance, health care and cmpensatin f asbests wrkers and their families

11 CONCLUSION Banned in mst f the cuntries, asbests is India s next big killer. At the mment its prven death due t past expsure t asbests, and sme jbs are effectively a death sentence. There is n safe level f expsure, s there is n acceptable level f expsure. This is the preventable health calamity f the mdern era. "Asbests is a threat t everyne, nt just wrkers. Asbests des nt affect any particular Clur, Bld r Race f Human Kind, Frm children in schls, t yung and ld in private and public buildings where asbests is present and t whle cmmunities where it exists as a epidemic Thank yu