Breakthrough? Causing asbestosis, lung cancer, India to get tremolite asbestos from China

Senior Vadodara-based health rights activist Jagdish Patel has forwarded to me an important news item. Emanating from Gansu Province, located in the northwestern region of China, and disseminated by Gansu News, which covers a range of topics, including regional development and economic activities, in the province, the news item, in "simple" Chinese with translation in English, says that there is "breakthrough" in exporting asbestos from China to India.

Hailing the breakthrough in foreign trade for the province's Akesai county for the first time, "showcasing" it as regional economic progress, the news of export to India comes six months after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a ban on the only type of asbestos, chrysotile, used in the United States. Banned in 65 countries around the world, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), an estimated 100,000 people die each year from “work-related asbestos exposure” because asbestos is considered carcinogenic.

Widely used in the construction of homes and offices throughout the USA and many other parts of the world until the later half of the 20th century, given that it is a very good electrical and heat insulator, and is strongly fire and corrosion resistant, the American environmental agency was reportedly grappling with banning all forms of asbestos for several decades. Less carcinogenic, chrysotile or white asbestos was allowed to be imported and used for tyre and brake manufacturing. Other types, actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, crocidolite, and tremolite, were already banned.

The type of asbestos which will be exported from China is tremolite, which is considered toxic. "Inhaling tremolite fibers can lead to asbestosis, lung cancer, and pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma", to quote Wikipedia. While India banned asbestos mining way back in 1993, imports have continued. The Chinese news item, which appeared on December 22, happily announced "breakthrough in foreign trade exports for Aksay County, Jiuquan City" for tremolite asbestos.

Let me quote from the news item, sourced on Daily Gansu Network - Gansu Daily, which says, "According to Lanzhou Customs, recently, 50 tons of tremolite asbestos departed from Aksay County, Jiuquan City, to Lianyungang, from where it will be shipped to India. This marks the first export of tremolite asbestos from Aksay County and signifies a breakthrough in the county’s foreign trade exports."

Praising tremolite asbestos, "a fibrous mineral", the news item says, it has "excellent high-temperature insulation properties", and is "widely used in industries such as petroleum, chemicals, and machinery." It adds, "Aksay County is rich in energy and mineral resources, with tremolite asbestos reserves exceeding 45 million tons, accounting for about one-third of the national total."

The news item quotes Zhao Chundong, the head of Aksay Taige Chemical Development Co, Ltd as saying, “In the past, we were unfamiliar with foreign trade operations. Customs and related departments not only proactively introduced policies but also provided hands-on guidance in procedures such as export declaration, inspection, and certification.”

It also quotes Sun Chengyu, Director of Dunhuang Airport Customs, as stating that to "help expand the overseas market for Aksay asbestos and ensure stable supply chains, Dunhuang Airport Customs has partnered with local commerce and industry departments this year to form a foreign trade task force and a youth commando team. They provide one-on-one policy consultations and business guidance for enterprises."

Comments

Irrational? Basis for fear among Hindus about being 'swamped' by Muslims

I was amused while reading an article titled "Ham Paanch, Hamare Pachees", shared on Facebook, by well-known policy analyst Mohan Guruswamy, an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Guruswamy, who has also worked as an advisor to the Finance Minister with the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, seeks to probe, as he himself states, "the supposed Muslim attitude to family planning"—a theme that was invoked by Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister ahead of the December 2002 assembly polls.

Why's Australian crackdown rattling Indian students? Whopping 25% fake visa applications

This is what happened several months ago. A teenager living in the housing society where I reside was sent to Australia to study at a university in Sydney with much fanfare. The parents, whom I often met as part of a group, would tell us how easily the boy got his admission with the help of "some well-meaning friends," adding that they had obtained an education loan to ensure he could study at a graduate school.

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Of lingering shadow of Haren Pandya's murder during Modi's Gujarat days

Sunita Williams’ return to Earth has, ironically, reopened an old wound: the mysterious murder of her first cousin, the popular BJP leader Haren Pandya, in 2003. Initially a supporter of Narendra Modi, Haren turned against him, not sparing any opportunity to do things that would embarrass Modi. Social media and some online news portals, including The Wire , are abuzz with how Modi’s recent invitation to Sunita to visit India comes against the backdrop of how he, as Gujarat’s chief minister, didn’t care to offer any official protocol support during her 2007 visit to Gujarat.

Area set aside in Ahmedabad for PM's affordable housing scheme 'has gone to big builders'

Following my article on affordable housing in Counterview, which quoted a top real estate consultant, I was informed that affordable housing—a scheme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—has deviated from its original intent. A former senior bureaucrat, whom I used to meet during my Sachivalaya days, told me that an entire area in Ahmedabad, designated for the scheme, has been used to construct costly houses instead.

Just 5% Gujarat Dalit households 'recognise' social reformers who inspired Ambedkar

An interesting survey conducted across 22 districts and 32 villages in Gujarat sheds light on the representation of key social reformers in Dalit households. It suggests that while Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's photo was displayed in a majority of homes, images of Lord Buddha and the 19th-century reformist couple, Savitribai Phule and Jyotiba Phule, were not as commonly represented.

Search This Blog