Quebec PM Jean Charest, arriving in India today, is being pressed by environmental activists to stop mining and exporting asbestos.
Occupational Health and Safety Centre of Bombay and the Occupational Health and Safety Association of Ahmedabad are believed to have requested a meeting with him, but it is not clear whether he has agreed to meet them. Protest demos are on the cards during his economic mission.
Over 100 scientists from 28 countries have already appealed to Mr. Charest to acknowledge the dangers of asbestos and stop exporting it to developing countries.
They said in their joint letter, “…we appeal to you to respect the overwhelmingly consistent body of scientific evidence and the considered judgment of the World Health Organization (WHO) that all forms of asbestos have been shown to be deadly and that safe use of any form of asbestos has proven impossible anywhere in the world.”
Quebec’s own public health experts, prominent health experts across Canada, as well as the Canadian Medical Association, have all called for an end to use and export of asbestos, the scientists point out.
The province is experiencing an appalling epidemic of asbestos-related disease. Official data shows 134 new cases of mesothelioma reported in Quebec.
Exposure to asbestos is the single biggest cause of worker death. Figures for 2009 from the Quebec Workers’ Compensation Board show 60% of occupational deaths were caused by asbestos.
”This is a public health calamity and one that would not have happened if the industry’s denial of the hazards of asbestos had not been believed,” the letter says and urges, “We call on you not to export this same public health tragedy to developing countries, where surely there is more than enough injustice and suffering already.”
