Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Banning asbestos

Sir, — This has reference to the news item `Ban asbestos' movement gaining momentum (March 4). It is indeed gratifying to note the relentless fight started by The Hindu two decades ago with a report `Asbestos in school building' (Oct 18, 1983). I wrote a letter seeking the total ban of asbestos in all building programmes, especially schools, as it would endanger the lives of young children. At that time, I was working for Danida, in a school project where the American architect and the Danish consultants immediately acceded to the request and stopped using asbestos both for roofing and for insulation in our building programme. What is surprising is that successive governments in India have done nothing in the last 55 years. The report implies that the West has banned the use of asbestos and is manufacturing it solely for exporting to third world countries.

R. Daniel Jayakumar,
Nellikuppam, T.N.

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