Spring Offensive in Moscow
On April 24 & 25, 2007, the friends of asbestos convene in Moscow to extol the virtues of a substance now banned by most developed countries. Recognizing the contribution which chrysotile (white) asbestos makes to their national economies, stakeholders from former Soviet Republics are mounting a conference entitled Trade Unions and Chrysotile in the run-up to International Workers Memorial Day (April 28). While global labor federations and their affiliates highlight the occupational cancer toll from the continuing use of asbestos and other toxins, speakers from asbestos-producing and using countries will urge conference delegates to use more asbestos, maintaining that chrysotile can be used “safely under controlled conditions.”
It does not take a crystal ball to predict that in the presentation Chrysotile Asbestos and its Health Effects, Dr. N F Izmerov will repeat the oft-heard refrain that not one Russian worker has died of asbestos-related diseases. It is a quite remarkable phenomenon that Russian asbestos, which is so safe at home, manages to cause death and destruction once it is transported to other countries; Poland and Slovenia, heavy users of Russian asbestos, have reported many cases of asbestos-related disease and death due to exposure to Russian asbestos. Dr. David Bernstein, who will address the topic Russia: 21st century Science in Support of the Correct Use of Chrysotile has a long-established commercial relationship to the chrysotile industry. On February 27, 2007, Dr Bernstein was one of 9 signatories to a letter to Dr. Margaret Chan, the new Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). The letter urged Dr. Chan to rethink the WHO's 2006 support for a global asbestos ban blaming the historic use of amphiboles for all the damage which had been done by asbestos. The 4 page letter stated:
“The current epidemiological studies clearly differentiate chrysotile from amphibole asbestos … That inhalation toxicology studies on commercial chrysotile asbestos show that it is not toxic at concentrations much higher than the current workplace limit levels.”
In Moscow, unnamed trade union representatives from Ukraine and Mexico are expected to join representatives from Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, India, Columbia, Brazil and Canada for a day of plenary presentations. The title of the presentation by the Brazilian trade unionist Adilson Conceicao Santana is of some interest; it is Chrysotile Asbestos: BRAZIL – A Successful Experience. It is doubtful whether the thousands of Brazilians currently suffering from asbestos-related disease would agree that the domestic industry which caused their illnesses is a success story. For more details on this event see the Conference Agenda.
The Moscow conference is the first event to be mounted by the Chrysotile International Alliance of Trade Unions which was started in 2006 by trade unions from asbestos-cement factories in Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine as a reaction to the growing support of global labor federations for a worldwide ban on asbestos. The declared intention of this body is to “protect the industry against scientifically-unfounded attacks on chrysotile.” The conference will be used as an opportunity to:
“adopt a number of policies in (sic) field of defense of our approach with chrysotile. Together we will discuss and adopt a well-articulated and appropriate manifesto which will be published after the conference. Our hope is that the Conference will provide us with solid working tools that we can use to address a number of international organisations as well as international and national governments, with the safe us (sic) programme for chrysotile fibre.”
There is little doubt that both the formation of the Alliance and the holding of the conference signify an aggressive counterattack by commercial interests concerned at the threat posed by growing support for a global asbestos ban. Currently, more than half of global asbestos production originates in Russia and Kazakhstan; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are among the 12 countries which logged the highest percentage increase in asbestos consumption from 2000 to 2004. The friends of asbestos will receive a warm, fiber-filled reception from their Russian hosts.
_______
April 24, 2007
