Exclusive | Education Ministry Issues Ban On Using Asbestos In KVs And JNV

By Gautam Debroy

New Delhi: Being aware of the fact that use of asbestos in constructing school rooftops leads to serious health hazards, including cancer, the Centre has banned the use of asbestos in construction or refurbishment of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV) across the country.

The education ministry has asked the KVs and JNVs to stop using asbestos. The development took place after an expert team of scientists and doctors suggested the same.

Minister of State for Education, Jayant Singh Chaudhary, took a lead role and directed the school authorities to ban the use of asbestos. According to the scientists and doctors, asbestos is a major cause of cancer that affects mainly school children and young adults.

Asbestos is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, and 70 countries have implemented bans on its use. "I was sensitised to the dangers of prolonged exposure to asbestos for children by scientists and activists working in this arena. As Union Minister of State for Education, I am committed to working with state governments to ban its use in school infrastructure. Safe learning environments are non-negotiable," said Chaudhary.

The minister said that his ministry has issued guidelines to ban the use of asbestos in any new construction or refurbishment of school infrastructure in all the KVs and JNVs across India. "I hope this starts a movement to gradually phase out asbestos use throughout the country and we build a healthier and cancer-free nation for our children," he said.

What is asbestos

Asbestos is a collective name given to a group of minerals that occur naturally as fiber bundles and possess high tensile strength, flexibility and chemical and physical durability. It mainly refers to a group of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals, including chrysotile (white asbestos), amosite (brown asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), tremolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite. These minerals are characterised by their strong, flexible, and heat-resistant fibers.

Chrysotile use mainly involves products where it is incorporated into matrices. Chrysotile asbestos used in roofing, insulation, pipe and other moulded goods, gaskets, friction materials (brake linings, clutch facings) etc. Asbestos-cement industries manufacturing corrugated and flat sheets, moulded goods, pipes etc. are the major consumers of asbestos worldwide, accounting for about 85 per cent of all use. These products contain 10-15 per cent of asbestos.

How does asbestos affect people?

• The use of asbestos in constructing school rooftops is extremely hazardous. Its fibers are released into the air, posing significant health risks to children and young adults.
• A group of naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals, asbestos has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
• Asbestos is used in cement for making roof tops, especially in schools. Over a period of time, the fibre of asbestos released got ill effects on children as well as adults. Asbestos fibers, when inhaled, can cause serious respiratory diseases, including asbestosis and mesothelioma, a type of cancer.

"When children are exposed at a teen-age, cancers and mesothelioma become a long time occurring cancer. When they attain adulthood, instead of being healthy, they are infected with cancer," said Dr Suneela Garg, renowned health expert and Prof of Excellence, Chair Programme Advisory Committee, National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW).

Case studies

Studies conducted by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease reveal that mesothelioma is a form of cancer that mainly affects the lining of the lungs, and is typically associated with exposure to asbestos.

"It may occur in the pleura or peritoneum, although the latter is less frequent. An estimate of the deaths from mesothelioma indicates that there are approximately 38,400 mesothelioma-related global deaths per year," the study revealed.

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease conducted a study in 83 hospitals across India and found a total number of 2,213 mesothelioma cases from 2012 to 2022.

Major concern related to asbestos

"Asbestos also leads to carditis, pericarditis. Asbestos sheets for roof-top releases asbestos fibers, which is responsible for mortality and morbidity. And if the person is smoking, it doubles the risk of respiratory disease. With multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, it has got a compounding effect on the health of an individual. It is high time that we should really look into the issue," said Dr Garg who is also the ex-director, Prof Head of Community Medicine at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi.

Dr Garg emphasised that the use of asbestos in the rooftop should be banned, reiterating that in the 1990s the use of asbestos was banned in mining. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that all types of asbestos cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, cancer of the larynx and ovary, and asbestosis.

"Asbestos is known to cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, laryngeal cancer and ovarian cancer. Mesothelioma and lung cancer are the most frequently diagnosed types of asbestos cancer. Most types of mesothelioma occur 20 to 60 years after the initial asbestos exposure," the world health watchdog said.

Asbestos banned in several countries

Asbestos is banned in numerous countries due to its health risks. Countries including Australia, France, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Hungary, and several others have already banned asbestos. At present, asbestos is banned in 70 countries. The European Union (EU) implemented a complete ban on all forms of asbestos in all member states in 2005.

Asbestos and its use India

Asbestos is a cheap, heat-resistant mineral, and it was once widely used in building materials across the globe. Chrysotile (white asbestos) is commonly used in the chemical and petrochemical sectors. It is also used in roofing houses.

Despite India banning asbestos mining in 1993, it remains a significant consumer of the mineral, importing large quantities, primarily for use in construction materials like asbestos-cement sheets and pipes, and other industrial applications. Asbestos-cement sheets and pipes are a major application, used for roofing, cladding, and plumbing. Asbestos is also used in brake shoes and linings, clothes and ropes, cement construction, asphalt coats and sealants, and even in dismantling old ships.

Manufacturing and import, export quantity

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), an online data visualisation and distribution platform, in 2023, India imported $253M asbestos and became the first largest importer of asbestos in the world.

The online data visualisation and distribution platform for international trade data, OEC, said that asbestos was the 281st most imported product in India in 2023. India imports asbestos primarily from Russia ($128M), Brazil ($88.6M), Kazakhstan ($32.6M), China ($1.31M), and Poland ($1.11M).

In 2023, India exported $2.38M in asbestos, making it the fifth largest exporter of asbestos in the world. In the same year, asbestos was the 1028th most exported product in India. The main destinations of asbestos exports from India are Bangladesh ($2.18M), Sri Lanka ($201k), Ethiopia ($285), Angola ($174), and Zambia ($139). The fastest growing export markets for Asbestos of India between 2022 and 2023 were Bangladesh ($764k), Sri Lanka ($201k), and Ethiopia ($285).

NHRC’s intervention

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) earlier took cognisance of a complaint alleging that about fifty thousand people die every year in the country due to asbestos-related cancer. The complainant Gopal Krishna of Toxics Watch Alliance has sought the Commission's intervention for a ban on the use of Chrysotile Asbestos (White Asbestos), which is hazardous for the health of people and causes various incurable diseases. The white Asbestos is a fibrous material used for building roofs and walls, and various other forms.

Citing the contradictory position of the Government on the issue, Gopal Krishna has alleged that though the mining of asbestos has been technically banned by the government, it allows its import and that too from the countries which do not prefer its domestic use.

"It is also alleged that white asbestos is considered a hazardous chemical substance for the environment by a number of countries in the world. However, it is being used in a number of industries in India, affecting the workers employed therein," Gopal Krishna said.

Gopal Krishna took up the matter of asbestos with the National Green Tribunal (NGT). But due to a lack of cooperation from the Ministry of Environment and Forest, the matter could not proceed further.

Environmental activists call to ban asbestos in India

Talking to ETV Bharat, Dr Gopal Krishna, an environmental lawyer and co-founder of the Ban Asbestos Network of India said that India continues with its import and export of asbestos.

"Despite several countries like Brazil, Hungary, Poland and South Africa banning asbestos, India is still running an asbestos business," said Dr Krishna. Dr Krishna said that the Brazilian Supreme Court passed a judgment, saying the use of asbestos is unconstitutional in their country. "However, they are selling asbestos to India," said Dr Krishna.

Although mining of all kinds of asbestos is technically banned in India, all the asbestos that are used in the country come from Russia, Kazakhstan and Brazil. Stating that asbestos companies in Russia and India are quite deep and influential, Dr Krishna said, "More than 90 per cent of asbestos are coming from Russia."

Dr Krishna said that in 1995, the Supreme Court (SC) gave a judgment which established that the right to health is equal to the right to life (Article 21)."The SC case was related to asbestos. Although the apex court gave its directions, none of the directives have been complied with," claimed Dr Krishna.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the only way to eliminate asbestos-related disease is to ban all asbestos-related work.

"It's a good step taken by the Ministry of Education, which shows that they are sensitive to the health of students," said Dr Krishna. Praising the Railway Ministry, Dr Krishna said that over 7000 railway platforms across India are made asbestos-free.

“The process to make the railway stations asbestos-free is going on, barring a few places, asbestos roofs have been removed from most of the railway stations," said Dr Krishna.

Strong action needs to be taken

"The Centre should be appreciated for banning the mining of asbestos. However, asbestos-based products are manufactured here and they are getting exported. India is also importing asbestos because there is no ban on the import and export of asbestos. India has neither banned manufacturing and use of asbestos," Dr Krishna said.

He said that the Centre should prepare a register to note down all asbestos-based products. "If the government keeps such a register, such asbestos-based products can be decontaminated later," Dr Krishna suggested.

Asbestos Issue At Indian Cultural Centre In Washington D.C.

India was not able to set up an Indian Cultural Centre in Washington D.C due to the asbestos issue. Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar has earlier informed in the Parliament that there were asbestos concerns “with regard to Indian property in Washington D.C. Asbestos posed a challenge in preparing it for use as an Indian Cultural Centre.”

Replying to a query raised by Mohammed Nadimul Haque in February 2023, Jaishankar has said that in the case of the property in Washington, it was acquired in 2013.

"Typically, when properties are acquired, not built Greenfield, they need to be modified for use. There was a modification required to make it ready for use. In the case of Washington property, what happened was that after the acquisition of the property, a certain set of issues came up while the matter was being processed. There were waterproofing issues. There were asbestos concerns," Jaishnakar has said.