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

By Rajiv Shah

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."

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