Exploring the Impact, Risks, and Ongoing Use of Asbestos in India’s Public Health and Industry.

We should never forget that injury-related matters are much worse in other parts of the world than they are in the United States. Car wrecks are a good example. Most countries don’t have good roads, healthcare infrastructures, or court systems. Furthermore, many countries don’t require drivers’ licenses or don’t strictly enforce these rules. So, the chances of being seriously hurt in a wreck are high, and the possibility of getting fair compensation is low.

Asbestos on the Subcontinent

Asbestos in India is another example. Most people are well-aware of asbestos’ serious health risks. But the Indian Parliament hasn’t passed a major anti-asbestos law since 1986. Furthermore, this law wasn’t much of a law. It only banned new asbestos mines and the expansion of existing mines. That’s surprising, considering India’s strong position on other issues, such as greenhouse gasses.

The general attitude toward asbestos in this country is even more disturbing. Most builders, and most people, see asbestos as a cheap and effective building material. It’s also safe, according to many Indian lawmakers, if builders mix it into cement. Almost no asbestos exposure health statistics are available, probably because no one really wants to know.

Asbestos and Colonialism

At the risk of getting on a soapbox, the truth is that many Western countries have exploited India for years with little regard for the health and safety of its people. The 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, which may have killed as many as 16,000 people, is a good example. Our asbestos claims lawyers deal with this exploitation every day. Serious health and safety issues related to asbestos exposure were documented beginning in ancient times. However, builders kept using this material, mostly because it was cheap.

Asbestos Use in India

India is one of the most densely-populated and poorest countries in the world. So, there’s always a market for cheap building materials, even if those materials are unsafe.

Look behind the walls of pretty much any commercial or residential building in India, and you’ll probably find chrysotile asbestos (white asbestos). Builders usually wrap this material, which resembles several layers of tissue paper, around pipes or other superheated items to reduce fire risk. 

Builders and owners easily justify this use, at least in their own minds. The aforementioned population density issues make fire a huge concern. A single structure fire could wipe out an entire block. Additionally, as mentioned, asbestos is cheap.

Adding asbestos to concrete also reduces building costs. Cement doesn’t set well in coastal, tropical, or other humid areas. India is basically one big coastal, tropical area. Hydraulic cements, which cure this problem, are now available. But, it’s cheaper to lace concrete with asbestos. 

Indian Exports of Asbestos Products Increased with Global Commerce

Asbestos exports are also big business in India. These exports have increased 300 percent since 2017. India’s laws include protectionist measures, like low tariffs and favorable environmental laws, to keep the $2 billion industry afloat. These “favorable environmental laws” include a refusal to list asbestos as a hazardous substance under the Rotterdam Convention. That designation reduces disposal costs and side steps regulations. 

Ordinary people often pay the price. “I feel weak, drained all the time,” one Roro villager struggled to say. Then, between breaths, the 65-year-old gasped. “But I must work. I don’t have a choice. I have to eat.”

Asbestos Injuries

Mesothelioma and asbestosis are the two most serious asbestos exposure-related injuries in India and worldwide.

Asbestos is the leading occupational cause of lung cancer and leads to other health problems.

The cancer fatality rate has declined significantly since 2000. However, the mesothelioma fatality rate hasn’t changed much. These tumors form between the heart and lungs, in the micro-thin meso lining. As a result, these tumors are largely immune to most traditional cancer treatments. For example, doctors cannot bombard these tumors with radiation. That causes too much collateral damage to some of the most vital organs in the human body. So, doctors cannot shrink these tumors, which means they cannot surgically remove them.

Occupational, Secondary, and Environmental Asbestos Exposure

The above-quoted Roro villager may have been suffering from asbestosis, a very serious lung disease. The lung’s most crucial breathing passageways are no wider than a pencil’s tip. Asbestos fibers burn these passageways, causing scar tissue buildup. So, these victims have trouble breathing, even when resting. 

Like mesothelioma, asbestosis is basically impossible to treat, especially if the condition is advanced. Also like mesothelioma, asbestosis has a decades-long incubation period. Many of these victims are sick for fifty years, or even more, before any symptoms appear.

Specific Problem Areas

Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan states are two of the largest provinces in India. They’re also two of the most serious asbestos problem areas.

The sprawling UP Asbestos Ltd., one of the world’s largest asbestos companies, is in Uttar Pradesh. This company produces vast numbers of AC (asbestos cement) sheets. Some builders use these corrugated sheets as roofs. Other builders use them to construct entire structures. These sheets are also commonly used as room dividers. UP Asbestos also makes color profile sheets, a similar product.

Not too far away, the Rajasthan Asbestos Cement Co. is, according to its website, “the notable Manufacturer and Supplier of an AC Pressure Pipe, AC Coupler,  HDPE Pipe, Cement Heater, and Cement Sheet.” All these products contain high levels of asbestos, putting everyone who works at this company, or lives nearby, at risk.

Asbestos Abatement in India

Sadly, this final section will be quite short. We discussed the legal and asbestos use environment in India. As a result of these things, according to one report, “no building or vehicle in India is free of carcinogenic asbestos mineral fibers.” 

Additionally, according to the same report, countries like Poland, Hungary, and South Africa, which have banned domestic asbestos use, export this substance to India. Apparently, what’s unsafe for Poles, Hungarians, and South Africans is safe for Indians.

A single, microscopic asbestos fiber could cause asbestosis, mesothelioma, or any other asbestos exposure illness.

Despite global bans, asbestos remains widely used in contemporary India, posing ongoing health risks due to inadequate regulation and oversight. Its presence in manufacturing and construction raises concerns about contaminated supply chains, potentially exporting asbestos-laden products to regions where it is banned. 

Comprehensive testing, proper abatement measures, and ongoing health screening for at-risk populations are essential to prevent further asbestos-related diseases and protect public health.