Industry & Economy
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Cement
Asbestos cement producers resent `vilified campaigns'
Our Bureau
NEW DELHI, March 7
ASBESTOS cement products manufacturers are crying foul over what they term as "vilified campaigns" launched against their industry, which has an annual turnover of about Rs 2,000 crore. They claim that such campaigns have been initiated at the instance of the "steel lobby" and are aimed at spoiling their image and creating bad impressions about asbestos among the policy makers and customers.
"All that we are saying is that consumers should use their own mind and wisdom before deciding a product is safe or not. They should not get influenced by sponsored propaganda", a spokesperson of the Chrysotile Asbestos Cement Products Manufacturers' Association told newspersons here.
According to Mr M.L. Gupta, Managing Director, Eternit Everest, there was a lot of difference between the asbestos used in India and the one used in the West.
"The applications are different here. We (association) are only concerned with asbestos cement products. The quantum of asbestos fibre in such products is only 8 per cent.
We only use white asbestos and there is no risk at the workplace as we adhere to all specified safety standards."
Stating that asbestos cement products industry is an "eco-friendly" industry, Mr Gupta pointed out that the industry was one of the largest consumers of flyash — which was considered to be a pollutant.
On the health hazards of chrysotile asbestos, Mr Gupta said the various inspections and studies of the Government agencies from time to time and the health records of employees (including retired employees) in the industry were an ample testimony to the industry's claim that asbestos cement products are not a health hazard to the employees or the users.
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