India: Toxic Trade

AL Jazeera English 101 East

Is India investing in a future health crisis by importing asbestos from Canada?   101 East Last Modified: 20 Jan 2012 12:01

More than 50 countries have banned asbestos products but India cannot get enough. It imports the mineral from Canada, risking a future health crisis. Asbestos products have a deadly reputation. Connect with 101 East Inhaling asbestos fibres can lead to a slow and painful death. But in India, asbestos illness is under-diagnosed and mostly unrecognised. And with the proliferation of factories making asbestos products, India is on the cusp of a devastating health crisis. Workers have little safety equipment and if they contract a respiratory disease or cancer, few are paid compensation. However, India cannot get enough of the product and it is a first-world nation that is supplying it. Canada will not use asbestos itself but it is selling it by the shipload to India.