Banned in several countries, India continues to support the use of this cancer-causing mineral

Asbestos, once widely used in construction, is now banned in at least 72 countries. The fibrous mineral has been recognised as one of the most dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals in the world. There is no safe type or exposure level.

Inexplicably, an expert panel constituted by India’s environment ministry expressed its support in February for the continued use of asbestos.

This despite the fact that asbestos is carcinogenic, or cancer causing, and responsible for dangerous respiratory diseases. It can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, which is a type of lung cancer, ovarian and laryngeal cancers, asbestosis, and more. It has a latency period that can span decades from initial exposure, low survival rates and no known cure.

The National Green Tribunal had asked the environment ministry to set up the panel to answer a simple question: are asbestos roofs safe for use in schools and are there any substitutes?

This panel comprised experts from India’s premier institutes, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi and the Indian Institutes of Technology at Delhi and Roorkee. Members of the environment ministry and the Central Pollution Control Board were also part of the panel.

The expert panel concluded that asbestos roofs are safe, as long as they are installed “correctly,” not “disturbed”, and “disposed of” properly after use.

India’s education ministry disagrees.

In March,...

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