Number 27 December 2005

FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY

Asbestos kills everyone but us IN THIS ISSUE

Country after country is banning asbestos because of its confirmed 1 LEADER status as a killer. But the Indian government deems that asbestos L Asbestos kills everyone but us does not harm Indian workers and citizens 2 EDITORIAL n June 29, 2005, a spokesperson in July 2005. There are several other Japa- for Kubota Corporation, an indus- nese companies which have recently dis- 4 FEATURES trial equipment manufacturer based closed asbestos deaths amongst their O L A waste of a technology in Osaka, Japan, confirmed the asbestos workforce. L deaths of scores of former employees. As a result, Japan has wisely banned as- Safe management of sharps waste Kubota executive Taichi Ito told reporters, bestos use in principle, except in cases where “We followed laws and regulations prop- there are no substitutes. Asbestos is, there- 7 UPDATES erly (at that time), but it is extremely regret- fore, still used in gaskets for machinery, in- L ‘Mercury Teams’ to monitor mercury table that the health of local residents was sulating plates on switchboards, seals at usage in Delhi schools harmed.” chemical plants and ropes for industrial use. L The next day, officials at the Health, Responding to the reports, the Japanese Mercury management in the Maldives: Labour and Welfare Ministry of Japan an- Health Ministry plans to completely ban Hithadhoo Hospital takes the lead nounced their intention to look into the la- the use of asbestos by 2008. Japan joins L CMAI holds workshop on legal issues bour conditions that led to these deaths. The countries like Australia, Uruguay, the Eu- of hospital administration news of the death of 86 former employees ropean Union, Honduras and others which L of another company, Nichias Corporation, have banned asbestos. A great beginning for EEJP due to asbestos-related disease since 1976 L Workshop on POPs for South Asia attracted media attention throughout Japan Continued on page 2 NGOs L SWM gets under way at Defence Colony and Gautampuri 10 L News L Events 11 L Profile: Samuha Vikas, Orissa L Resources 12 L Factfile

Toxics Dispatch No 27 Continued from page 1

Against this backdrop, the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), a Cleaning up our act subordinate office of the Union Ministry of Mines, deems that ’S SIGNING THE STOCKHOLM CONVENTION would asbestos does not harm Indian workers and citizens. In fact, plans are afoot to lift the ban on asbestos mining. imply that we are now joining the global regime for chemicals This is despite the fact that the Union Ministry of Health had safety. Currently, a battery of conventions outlines the informed the Parliament in 2003 that studies by the National In- framework of making our planet safer from toxics. These stitute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, had shown that ex- include the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary posure to any type of asbestos can lead to the development of as- bestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, the White asbestos continues to be used in India; blue and brown Rotterdam or PIC (Prior Informed Consent) Convention on asbestos are banned here. About 1 lakh workers are directly ex- hazardous chemicals which are traded internationally and now posed and 3 crore construction workers are being subjected to as- the Stockholm Convention which deals with the class of bestos dust on a daily basis. Even common citizens are at risk of exposure. chemicals called POPs or Persistent Organic Pollutants. Similarly, there are several regional treaties that prohibit the Indian scenario dumping of hazardous waste into the oceans like the London The Indian Government’s signal to promote asbestos has out- Dumping Convention. raged environmental, labour, consumer and human rights groups in the country. Grants of fresh mining leases and renewal of exist- Over the past 15 years, post the Rio Summit, these ing mining leases for asbestos are currently banned in India on internationally legally binding treaties have outlined some key health grounds but the Union Ministry of Commerce continues to principles, such as the precautionary approach, the concept of import asbestos from countries like Canada. In Canada, there is a producer liability, the idea of using safer alternatives or best no-home-use policy for asbestos. It has lost its case in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) where it argued for continuing the available techniques, information sharing, etc, which have been trade of white asbestos. negotiated hard and long by the international community Unmindful of the fact that poison does not become non-poison- (with the NGOs egging them on!). ous as a result of advertising or public relations campaigns and The world is clearly divided between those with the most dubious scientific studies, the Canadian government has announced its continuing support for the ‘safe and responsible use’ of white industrial interest (countries such as the USA, Canada, Japan asbestos. It renewed its funding to the Montreal-based Asbestos and Australia) and the others who have been the victims, such Institute for the promotion of white asbestos throughout the world. as nations from Africa, Asia, Latin America, etc. It has also earmarked $775,000 for the promotion of asbestos. However, of late, India’s position in these treaties, which Consequently, the asbestos industry in India has flooded national dailies and television channels with sponsored features, advertise- was earlier that of the leader of the developing countries, often ments and studies to promote the ‘safe’ and ‘controlled use’ of banded together as G-77 (and China), has been moving from white asbestos cement. environmental protection to that of trade protection – clearly a reflection of the changing nature of economic development in Status of asbestos in government records In India, the total use of asbestos is 1.25 lakh tonnes, of which the country. Rather than negotiate for a cleaner development more than 1 lakh tonnes is being imported. Significant occupa- process, we have been arguing for a ‘right to development at tional exposure to asbestos occurs mainly in asbestos cement facto- any cost’ and often are reluctant to take progressive stances. ries, the asbestos textile industry and during asbestos mining and With the possible ratification of the POPs Convention in 2006, milling. The National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) has carried out studies in all these industries and generated base- it is hoped that India will move towards marrying environmen- line data. A summary of these studies follows. tal focusses with its other agendas and realise that industry Asbestos cement factories can no longer hide under the cloak of unquestioned protection. There are 18 asbestos cement factories located in different parts However, the question is still open, whether our develop- of the country. NIOH carried out environmental epidemiological ment will be ‘clean’, or whether we will continue to throw studies in four asbestos cement factories located in Ahmedabad, all caution to the winds and not learn from the painful lessons , Coimbatore and Mumbai. The prevalence of asbes- tosis in these factories varies from 3 to 5 per cent. of the West. Ravi Agarwal Asbestos textile industry Making of asbestos yarn and ropes is done mostly in the unor-

Toxics Dispatch No 27 2 ganised sector of industries with very poor safety measures. The prevalence of asbes- Main uses of asbestos tosis is 9 per cent in these industries. This relatively low prevalence of asbestosis de- M Water pipes or as roofing sheets in the spite high environmental levels is attributed construction industry. to a high labour turnover. Cases of asbesto- M sis were observed in workers having less than Manufacture of pressure and non- 10 years exposure in contrast to the reported pressure pipes used for water supply, average duration of over 20 years. sewage, irrigation and drainage system in Dr Qamar Rahman of the Industrial urban and rural areas Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow, a M body under the Union Ministry of Science Asbestos textiles and Technology, has conducted detailed M Laminated products, tape, gland packing, studies on the illegal mining and milling of packing ropes, brake lining and jointing asbestos in Rajasthan. She has reported that used in core sector industries such as workers in these illegal mines are exposed to very high asbestos fibre concentrations. automobile, heavy equipment, petro- They do not use gloves, masks or any other chemicals, nuclear and thermal power protective clothing. They use a primitive plants, fertilisers, transportation, etc. manual method for grinding. “Clinical stud- ies revealed prevalence of a large number of asbestosis cases. In some cases, asbesto- time when there is a worldwide movement ness and death due to asbestos that is plagu- sis had developed in less than five years. to get asbestos banned with the entire de- ing the developed countries with an esti- Under such alarming conditions, lifting the veloped world having already banned it, it mated 30 deaths per day is being repeated ban on asbestos mining would be a disaster was puzzling to note that the Indian Gov- in India. India is using asbestos in exactly for the workers,” says Dr Rahman. ernment is planning to lift the ban. He the same way as the developed countries did In a survey of UP Asbestos Limited, warned that it would contribute to more until about 1980. The danger from asbes- Mohanlalganj, Lucknow and Allied Nip- cancer and occupational hazards among tos was documented in India as early as pon Pvt Ltd, Ghaziabad (UP), lung func- workers. “We demand that the government 1968. Although there is indisputable evi- tion impairment was found to be higher in should desist from lifting the ban on mining dence that asbestos causes asbestosis, lung subjects exposed for more than 11 years. of all forms of asbestos,” Ganguli said. cancer and mesothelioma, asbestos mining, This was the result of a Central Pollution The Government has meanwhile re- milling and manufacturing continues. Control Board sponsored project entitled duced customs duties on asbestos. Earlier The result of widespread use of asbes- ‘Human risk assessment studies in asbestos the import duty on asbestos was reduced tos in European countries, the United industries in India’.1 from 110 per cent to 50 percent in 1992, States, Canada and other nations has re- The Directorate General, Factory Ad- thus reducing the total import cost by 25- sulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths vice and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), 30 per cent. India has also been reducing and over a trillion dollars in personal and Union Ministry of Labour, seems ignorant the customs duty on asbestos fibre in recent property damage. But instead of learning of these studies, which concluded that even years (from 78 per cent in 1995-96 to 25 anything from the experience, the asbestos in controlled conditions, asbestos workers percent in 1999-2000). Fifty per cent of companies from the developed world have continued to suffer and it made no material the sales of asbestos cement are in the rural shifted most of their operations to countries difference in their condition.2 sector, and 30 and 20 per cent in the in- such as India, where there is little aware- dustrial and urban sectors, respectively. ness about the hazards of using asbestos. Civil society, trade unions and The Union Minister of State for Coal The choice before the Indian Govern- health experts seek ban on asbestos and Mines, Dr , in a ment is clear – either it should ban the trade, On April 13, 2002, the Indian Asso- written reply in the Lok Sabha on April manufacture and use of all kinds of asbes- ciation of Occupational Health had passed 29, 2005, announced the possibility of lift- tos or contiue to misinform its citizens that a resolution demanding an immediate ban ing the ban on asbestos mining in the light while asbestos kills Japanese, Australians on all activities related to asbestos and its of a mining industry-supported study by the and Europeans, it is harmless to Indians. products. Indian Bureau of Mines. On November 8, 2004, preventable but By Gopal incurable diseases caused by asbestos were Conclusion taken note of by India’s central trade un- Besides workers, even common citizens 1 Reported in the Annual Report of Industrial ions who endorsed a resolution calling for are at a risk of exposure from asbestos, which Toxicology Research Centre (2001-2002), India its ban. P.K. Ganguli of the Centre of In- becomes airborne through wind erosion and dian Trade Unions (CITU) said that at a normal wear and tear. The epidemic of ill- 2www.dgfasli.nic.in/newsletter/jan_march_96.pdf

3 Toxics Dispatch No 27 Lucknow produces 1,200 metric tonnes ing waste which is mostly organic can be of waste per day but it was stated in the processed in several ways like composting report that the plant was shut down due to or conversion into biogas. A waste of a lack of waste. No information on the project was made public and the concerned central Conflict of interest technology authorities were secretive in their engage- and contempt of court ment with a Supreme Court committee. In view of the predictable failures, squan- aking note of the news report about The court has taken note of the incin- dering of public money and lack of account- the closure of the Rs 84 crore Mu- erator plants in Gangdumguda and Elikkta ability, as per the court order, the Central Tnicipal Solid Waste to Electricity villages in Andhra Pradesh. Government constituted a committee of plant in Lucknow, on May 6, 2005, the Su- Waste incineration represents the most experts to inspect the functioning of the preme Court of India gave an order that polluting solid waste management technol- waste-to-energy plants with a focus on the stayed the sanction of any further subsidy ogy. But an agreement has been signed by Lucknow-based plant. The main purpose to proposed municipal Waste-to-Energy the Municipal Corporation Delhi (MCD) of such an independent non-governmental (WTE) projects. to generate electricity from waste despite the committee’s review was to investigate the The court sought the inspection of the failure of the Timarpur incinerator which propriety and need for ongoing massive sub- functioning and the records of the Lucknow used the same technology. The agreement sidies for technically and economically plant and asked the Central Government between MCD and Infrastructure Leasing unviable municipal WTE projects in the to constitute a committee for this purpose. and Financial Services Limited (IL&FSL) country. The promotion of such wasteful When the Centre commissioned the for an incineration plant was signed on projects is beginning to resemble a national plant, the projection was that it would gen- March 14, 2005 despite massive protests scam. Therefore, the court’s order stated, erate 5 MW of electricity using bio-degra- from civil society groups. The technology is “We hope that till the position is clear, the dable waste but the plant ended up gener- provided by Technology Information, Fore- Government would not sanction any further ating a mere 0.3 MW to 0.5 MW of elec- casting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), subsidies [for municipal waste-to-electricity tricity. The committee submitted its report a department of the Union Ministry of Sci- (WTE) projects].” by October 15, 2005 in the court. Sources ence and Technology. Far from investigating and preventing have revealed that the report does seem fine- A recent study estimates that recycling such potential abuse and despite the May tuned to best waste management practices, saves almost Rs 17.6 crore per annum. 2005 court orders, the Committee consti- which environmental groups like Alliance Other wastes like construction malba (which tuted by the Union Ministry of Non-Con- for Waste Management (AWM) have been can be up to 40 per cent by weight) can be ventional Sources (MNES) has, in July advocating. AWM had given a presenta- crushed and reused for reconstruction and 2005, announced and widely publicised tion to the committee on August 9, 2005 roads. Hazardous wastes such as e-waste, grants and subsidies for WTE, including in Hyderabad amidst heated exchanges. healthcare waste, broken thermometers, ‘burn technologies’ that violate India’s in- Glossing over the facts about the com- fluorescent tubes, etc, must be separated and ternational commitments. position of Indian waste which has low calo- returned to the manufacturer. The remain- Interestingly, MNES, which is the very rific value and hence is unsuitable for elec- Ministry that is to be investigated, has been tricity generation, ministries in the Central responsible for constituting the Committee. Government continue to waste public An official of the ministry has been made money experimenting with this technology. the Member-Secretary and several people

Toxics Dispatch No 27 4 who directly or indirectly benefit from WTE They are expensive and do not eliminate or it difficult to capture in many control de- promotion and the subsidies have been in- adequately control the toxic emissions from vices. It also violates the Dhaka Declara- cluded in the Committee. Therefore, there today’s chemically complex municipal dis- tion on Waste Management adopted by the is a fundamental conflict of interest. cards. Even new incinerators release toxic South Asian Association for Regional Co- In such a scenario, there is a need to metals, dioxins and acid gases. Far from operation (SAARC) in October 2004, reconstitute the Committee. Recently, the eliminating the need for a landfill, waste which specifies that SAARC countries can- Parliamentary Standing Committee delib- incinerator systems produce toxic ash and not opt for incineration and other unproven erating amendment of the Contempt of other residues. Such projects disperse in- technologies. Courts Act also expressed the hope that cinerator ash throughout the environment a person against whom an allegation has which eventually enter our food chain. Resource recovery gaining ground been made will not himself or herself sit in The proposition of the MNES to max- The ‘White Paper on Pollution in Delhi judgment. So a subsidy provider cannot imise energy recovery through WTE is tech- with an Action Plan’ prepared by the Un- investigate its own subsidy regime. nologically untenable, as it will lead to in- ion Ministry of Environment and Forests creased dioxin emissions. Dioxins are the says, “The experience of the incineration Caught in a time warp most lethal Persistent Organic Pollutants plant at Timarpur, Delhi and the briquette Unmindful of the fact that waste incin- (POPs), and have irreparable environmen- plant at Bombay support the fact that ther- erator technologies are net energy losers tal health consequences. mal treatment of municipal solid waste is when the embodied energy of the materials Incinerator technological intervention in not feasible in situations where the waste burned is accounted for, the MNES is pro- the waste stream distorts waste management. has a low calorific value. A critical analysis moting it without any success. Such systems rely on minimum guaranteed of biological treatment as an option was un- The new committee can examine as to waste flows. It indirectly promotes contin- dertaken for processing of municipal solid why it is doing so. Gurudas Kamat, the ued waste generation while hindering waste waste in Delhi and it has been recom- Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing prevention, reuse, composting, recycling and mended that composting will be a viable Committee on Energy, has also written to recycling-based community economic devel- option. Considering the large quantities of the MNES seeking a review of its WTE opment. It costs cities and municipalities waste requiring to be processed, a mechani- Committee. The AWM has briefed him more and provides fewer jobs than compre- cal composting plant will be needed.” about the obsolete disposal technologies. In hensive recycling and composting. It also Therefore, it is incumbent upon the his letter, Mr Kamat has supported a ban prohibits the development of local recycling- policy-makers to exclude waste, waste re- on economic incentives for such WTE based businesses. sources, waste pelletisation, waste incinera- projects with specific reference to the It is also contrary to national legislations tion, pyrolysis, gasification technologies from Andhra Pradesh projects. and norms such as Municipal Solid Waste qualifying as renewable energy or fuel and Researchers of waste suggest that (Management & Handling) Rules, 2000 also exclude renewable energy subsidy/loan composting and recycling materials is a bet- because according to these rules it is illegal programmes for burn technology-based ter alternative from the standpoint of net to incinerate chlorinated plastics (like PVC) WTE programmes and policies. The high- energy generated by incineration. Waste in- and wastes chemically treated with any chlo- cost routes must be avoided and instead only cineration encourages a one-way flow of ma- rinated disinfectant. appropriate methods such as small-scale bio- terials on a finite planet, thus making the methanation, composting and proper recy- task of conserving resources and reducing Contravening international treaties cling should be propagated. waste more difficult. On one occasion, Dr These WTE projects are being pro- Meanwhile, the Inter-ministerial Task A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the President rightly moted violating international environmen- Force on Integrated Plant Nutrient Man- summed up the need for Integrated Zero tal norms. For example, incineration of waste agement has recommended setting up of Waste Management. He illustrated it by violates the Kyoto Protocol which has iden- 1,000 compost plants all over the country referring to a village of 2,400 families, which tified waste incineration as an emitter of and has allocated Rs 800 crore for the task. generates garbage of over 48 tonnes per year. greenhouse gases. Waste incineration also It seems the fate of the present WTE policy This garbage is converted into manure and violates the Stockholm Convention on is sealed. Incentives and subsidies should recyclable waste generating over Rs 3 lakh POPs which calls for improvements in waste be offered in areas of ‘cold’ technologies in revenue. This scheme provides employ- management with the aim of the cessation alone, which are suited to our country eco- ment to people of the panchayat. Such meas- of open and other uncontrolled burning of nomically, socially and also to our wastes. ures promote sustainable development as wastes. Waste incineration also violates the The ideal resource management strat- against the current trend of introducing recommendations of the United Nations egy for Municpal Ssolid Waste is to avoid failed polluting technologies, which turn Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) its generation in the first place. This im- citizens into guinea pigs for experiments. Global Assessment on Mercury which in- plies changing production and consumption Waste incineration systems (including cludes measures such as reducing or elimi- patterns to eliminate the use of disposable, waste pelletisation, pyrolysis and gasifica- nating the mercury emission from waste in- non-reusable, non-returnable products and tion systems) produce pollutants, which are cineration because unlike other heavy met- packaging. detrimental to health and the environment. als, mercury has special properties that make By Gopal Krishna

5 Toxics Dispatch No 27 and monitor its usage. Mecury, though a Safe management of highly hazardous chemical, is found exten- sharps waste sively in our schools, in science laborato- TOXICS FREE HEALTHCARE ries, maintenance areas, medical rooms and harps are among the most hazard- classrooms. ous wastes generated in healthcare ‘Mercury Teams’ to In fact, the next phase of the programme Sfacilities. Consequently, their dis- will see a survey conducted with the the help posal by these facilities has always been a monitor mercury usage of the Mercury Teams to track the usage of prickly issue. in Delhi schools mercury. The survey will focus on mercury Injections constitute the largest quantity management and handling procedures in the of infectious sharps generated during im- s part of its Clean Campus Pro- schools and will also inventorise mercury- munisation and curative practices. Due to A gramme, which aims to introduce containing equipment in the schools. This the risks associated with sharps, it is very school-going children and college youth to programme will not only create awareness important to manage them properly and to environmentally sound practices, Toxics but will also help the schools in proper man- ensure that they do not endanger the lives Link conducted a series of workshops in agement and handling of mercury. of healthcare workers and the community. Delhi schools to raise awareness regarding Toxics Link also participated in the Eco- The disposal option chosen requires meticu- mercury. fest at Indraprastha College, ‘Symposium lous planning, since sharps waste requires The schools included St Columba’s, on Emerging Trends in Chemistry’ at space and does not degrade with time. Green Fields, Salwan Public and Sister Hindu College and a four-day programme To analyse the different disposal options Nivedita School. In all, more than 500 from December 17-21 called ‘The Young available to hospitals in urban India, a docu- teachers, lab assistants and students partici- Visionary 2005’ organised by National Bal mentation of 13 locations was carried out pated in the workshops. Bhavan and the Tehelka Founda- by WHO. Srishti/ TL was also a part of Children were shown tion to spread awareness on the the documentation process in four centres. presentations on issue. Successful sharps management systems were the occurrence of It is hoped that the Clean evaluated and alternative treatment and dis- mercury in the en- Campus Programme will re- posal technologies were studied. vironment, espe- sult in sensitised children The disposal options which were evalu- cially the school envi- who will make a big dif- ated included needle cutters, chemical dis- ronment, and its haz- ference at the local and infection, autoclaving, microwaving, ad- ards. community levels. vanced autoclaves such as the hydroclave, ‘Mercury Teams’ have By Yamini Sharma cement encapsulation and the use of pits. been set up in these schools. The study evaluated the relevance of The teams, which consist of If you want your these technologies within the current regu- teachers, lab assistants and school or college to be latory Health Care Waste Management school children, are meant to a part of the Clean Campus (HCWM) framework in India. Given the spread awareness about mercury Programme, mail us at [email protected] nationwide introduction of Auto Disable (AD) syringes for the immunisation pro- gramme, the study also analysed the impli- Use of mercury in schools cations linked to their use and the possibili- ties of re-processing the decontaminated L In science and chemistry laboratories and classrooms: shredded plastic. Mercury thermometers, barometers, mercury compounds and elemental mercury. The findings of the study indicate that it is of paramount importance to contain the Mercury is used historically in school’s laboratory. The laboratories may still have infectious sharps in puncture resistant con- containers of mercury or mercury compounds in storage. tainers, disinfect and to mutilate them at the L In classrooms and other facilities: point of generation. Mercury-containing thermostats, silent wall switches and fluorescent light bulbs. The methods that are used currently for L final disposal of sharps were not found to In medical rooms: be sustainable. Healthcare workers felt that Thermometers and blood pressure measuring devices may contain several grams of it is important to look into the option of mercury. There are also certain nasal sprays and contact lens solutions that contain material recovery from the injection units. thimerosal, phenylmercuric acetate, or, phenylmercuric nitrate. Topical disinfectants By Ratna Singh contain mercurochrome or tincture of mertiolate. All these compounds have mercury in The full report can be downloaded at: them and have mercury-free alternatives. www.whosea.org/en/Section23_10305.htm

Toxics Dispatch No 27 6 Mercury management in the CMAI and Toxics Link EEJP Maldives: Hithadhoo hold a workshop on legal Hospital takes the lead issues covering hospital A great beginning for EEJP administration he Environmental Equity and Justice ithadoo Regional Hospital of the TPartnership (EEJP), a new initiative H Maldives recently partnered with of the Just Environment Charitable Trust, Toxics Link to formulate a mercury man- he Christian Medical Association of received a great response to its first call. agement policy, making it the first hospital TIndia (CMAI) and Toxics Link jointly After an intensive selection process, the in the island nation to do so. organised a two-day workshop in Kolkata EEJP Board awarded grants to eight The protocol for mercury waste man- on November 25-26, 2005 titled ‘Consulta- NGOs under its Environmental Small agement has been approved by the hospital tive discussion on legal issues of hospitals.‘ Grants Programme and eight fellowships administration and will be in effect after the Twenty-five healthcare professionals from under the Environmental Fellowship Pro- construction of the hazardous wastes stor- the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand gramme. The list of awardees is available age facility. Following are the highlights of and Maharashtra attended the workshop. at www.eejp.org. the adopted mercury protocol: The workshop was in response to the L Mercury containing compounds are to new challenges faced by hospital adminis- be considered hazardous waste. trators in the wake of heightened consumer L The hospital will search for alternatives awareness and increased legislation that to mercury-containing instruments. governs hospitals. L Mercury-based instruments will not be The workshop was aimed at CEOs, used in carpeted rooms. medical superintendents, administrators and L Mercury spills from broken equipment nursing superintendents of Christian hos- to be cleaned only by trained personnel pitals in the North, East and North-east- The initiative was envisaged with the aim using appropriate equipment. Workers ern regions. Toxics Link’s regional partner, of helping groups and individuals foster last- in the area will secure the spill area and Society for Direct Initiative for Social and ing improvement in the area of environmen- make sure there is adequate ventilation. Health Action (DISHA), also participated tal justice by catalysing grassroots initiatives, L Waste mercury to be collected in clean in the workshop. triggering new imagination and perspectives, plastic containers with tight-fitting lids The first day was dedicated to Bio-medi- encouraging crossover linkages and provid- and containing enough water to cover cal Waste Management (BMW). Toxics ing greater opportunities to connect to envi- the mercury to prevent its vapourisation. Link conducted various sessions aimed at ronmental thinking. L All containers of mercury waste will be creating awareness about BMW and effec- Upasana Choudhry labeled ‘Waste Mercury – Hazardous tive management of hospital waste. To find out more about the EEJP, please contact Waste’, and stored in a secure area. A Participants showed a great interest in Upasana Choudhry at [email protected] record of all such containers will be main- alternative technologies, disposal of sharps tained till their final disposal. and deep burial options for small towns. CHEMICALS AND HEALTH L No mercury waste to be incinerated. Queries were also raised on waste-water L Mercury fillings to be avoided in young treatment issues. The presentation on mer- children, pregnant women and nursing cury was especially appreciated by all the Workshop on POPs for mothers. Mercury fillings not to be used participants. South Asia NGOs for people with kidney disorders and The second day focussed on legal is- those allergic to mercury. sues governing hospital registration, blood n order to build and strengthen the ca- L Mercury-free dental fillings to be used banks, X-ray departments, pharmacy labo- Ipacity of civil society organisations on the wherever possible. ratories, the Consumer Protection Act, In- issue of Persistent Organic Pollutants L Management of mercury waste to be part come Tax and FCRA, the Industrial Dis- (POPs), Toxics Link organised the first of the training programme. pute Act and various disciplinary proce- ‘NGOs South Asia Regional Capacity Hithadhoo Regional Hospital had par- dures. Building Workshop on POPs’ from No- ticipated in a healthcare waste management Following the success of the workshop, vember 17-19, 2005 in New Delhi. workshop titled ‘Consultation with friends Toxics Link aims to strenghten its collabo- Civil society groups from five South from Maldives’ in Bangalore in May, 2005 ration with Christian Medical Association Asian countries – Bangladesh, India, Ne- whcih was organised by the World Health of India. More such measures will be un- pal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – along with Organisation (WHO) and the Health Care dertaken to create awareness and build ca- scientists, policy-makers, bilateral and mul- Waste Management (HCWM) Cell, De- pacity of all stakeholders to improve the sta- tilateral funding agencies and UN agencies partment of Community Medicine, M.S. tus of Bio-medical Waste Management in from India participated in the workshop. Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore. the country. There were over 65 participants. By Priti Mahesh By Yamini Sharma and Priti Mahesh The workshop increased the awareness

7 Toxics Dispatch No 27 COMMUNITIES AND WASTE ous groups to work together towards long- term sustainable development. The programme was kicked off with an Solid waste management gets orientation programme on solid waste man- agement at the Junior Commissioned Of- under way at Defence Colony ficers’ (JCOs’) Club, A-Block, Defence and Gautampuri Colony on June 2, 2005. The orientation programme dwelt upon the urgent need for fter successfully facilitating a commu- waste management and helped to develop Anity-based solid waste management a consensus among the stakeholders regard- project in Sarita Vihar, a middle-income ing their roles. Stakeholders’ panel discussion at the workshop. residential colony in South Delhi, Toxics Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Commis- about POPs among various stakeholders, Link is now implementing waste manage- sioner, Central Zone, MCD, promised all especially grassroots organisations. The fo- ment projects in Defence Colony A-Block, possible support towards promoting the cus of the workshop was to understand the a higher middle-income group community programme. status of POPs, discuss their impacts and and in Gautampuri, Molarband, a lower- alternatives to them. The workshop also income group community near Badarpur, Waste management at Gautampuri provided a good opportunity to develop Delhi. The objective of the projects is to Toxics Link is partnering with Arpana cross-sectoral synergies. create zero waste residential colonies and Trust Delhi Services for the Gautampuri The expanded interest and competence to promote a sustainable community-based programme. The emphasis here is on door- in POPs-related issues is expected to result zero waste management system. to-door waste collection, segregation of in the ongoing involvement of these organi- The Defence Colony programme was waste and community-based decentralised sations in the Stockholm Convention im- launched on June 22, 2005. Toxics Link is composting. plementation efforts. involving 450 households of the colony to The door-to-door waste collection sys- The participants identified some of the develop a community-based decentralised tem has been started with 1,000 households pollutants facing the region, such as DDT composting unit. The Communities and out of a total of 2,000 households. Waste (widely used for malaria control) and Waste team of Toxics Link has brought to- management systems are new to residents dioxins and furans (unintended by-products gether various stakeholders on the same plat- who were not aware about segregating dry of industrial processes like pulp and paper form to develop better communication and and wet waste. For the purpose, Toxics Link manufacture, metal smelting and medical to foster a spirit of partenrship. The and Arpana Trust are organising a variety and municipal waste incineration or even stakeholders include the Residents Welfare of activities ranging from door-to-door meet- daily activities like open burning of PVC Association (RWA), residents, waste col- ings, cluster meetings, awareness generation coated copper wires). lectors and sanitation staff of the Munici- programmes, rallies and school pro- The region does not have any reliable pal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for im- grammes. The aim is to bring together Self facilities to even monitor or measure these plementing the waste management pro- Help Groups (SHGs), residents, school pollutants. Also, there is little or no data on gramme. Regular meetings have resulted in children, key persons of the community and stockpiles of such used chemicals, despite greater trust and have encouraged the vari- waste collectors onto a common platform. studies showing environmental and food chain contamination in many places. Such chemicals enter the human body through the food chain and transmit inter- generationally from mother to child, caus- ing severe health effects like endocrine dis- ruption, reproductive disorders and cancer. The workshop was organised by Toxics Link in its capacity as the South Asia Re- gional Hub of the International POPs Elimination Project (IPEP), a global ini- tiative taken up by the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN), in partner- ship with the United Nations Industrial De- velopment Organisation (UNIDO) and the United Nations Environment Pro- gramme (UNEP) with core funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Cluster meeting on Solid Waste Management at Gautampuri Upasana Choudhry

Toxics Dispatch No 27 8 Three northern states hold tion. She shared details of the current waste management practices within the hospital regional workshops on and the necessary follow-ups that were re- bio-medical and municipal quired to reach the present stage. The hos- pital has an effective waste management waste management committee, which is responsible for surveil- lance and training within the hospital. n its ongoing effort of regional level ca- The workshop also saw discussions on Ipacity building of civil society groups, in- bio-medical waste rules, mercury in health stitutions and individuals on the issues of care and aspects of bio-medical waste man- bio-medical and municipal solid waste man- agement. During the discussions it also came agement, Toxics Link organised a ‘Regional to light that Uttar Pradesh does not have Workshop on Bio-medical and Municipal any advisory body, which is mandatory un- Waste Management’ at Lucknow on Au- der Bio-medical Waste Management Rules gust 23-24, 2005. of 1998. Ravi Agarwal of Toxics Link The objective was to facilitate discussions raised his concern on the absence of an ad- and exchange information regarding com- visory committee. He also mentioned that prehensive urban solid waste and medical the government is wrongly giving subsidies waste management practices in the north- to Waste to Energy (WTE) plants and ig- ern states of UP, Bihar and Uttaranchal. noring other important aspects of segrega- The issue of Persistent Organic Pollutants tion, collection, transportation and (POPs) was also introduced. composting. This has led to investments in Forty-five individuals representing gov- setting up of WTEplants. ernment, NGOs, professionals and practi- Two presentations on POPs were also tioners on waste management of the three made by Toxics Link team members. Top: Chandra Bhushan, Deputy states participated in the workshop. The two-day workshop ended with key Commissioner, Central Zone, MCD, Vinod Malhotra, Principal Secretary, recommendations made by the participants. addressing members of the Defence Colony Environment Department of Uttar Pradesh, They have largely opined that the region community. gave the inaugural address. He thanked the has very grave problems on both bio-medi- Above: Members of RWA Defence Colony and environmental organisations and NGOs for cal and solid waste issues. Participants also Toxics Link inaugurating the solid waste being largely responsible for the awareness raised their concern over the absence of management programme. created in the areas of bio-medical waste medical institutions and hospitals in the management. He lamented that hospitals workshop, despite the fact that they were Toxics Link is also strengthening the com- were quickly turning into places for ‘con- invited well before the scheduled dates. munity’s linkage with the MCD sanitation tracting diseases’. He felt that waste man- Participants also recognised the importance staff so that cleaning of dhalaos and drain- agement was an important issue for the re- of NGOs as an action group for the region. age takes place on a regular basis. gion and expressed his concern regarding Following key recommendations were made In both the programmes, extensive dis- hospitals that were not authorised. in the end: tribution of educational material has resulted S.K. Singh, Chief Environmental Of- L Share information regularly. in heightened awareness about relevant is- ficer, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control L Make material available in local lan- sues. Calendars for 2005, emphasising the Board (UPPCB), focussed on the waste guage for large-scale awareness genera- importance of source segregation and speci- status in the region and the technology of tion. fying elements that fall under the category bio-medical waste management. He also L Hold more small-scale low-cost work- of recyclable and organic waste, have been highlighted the role of the private sector in shops/meetings at the regional level. circulated among the residents. Also, a this matter. He felt that though incineration L Form a regional level group from the door-to-door awareness campaign on impor- was accepted as a modern technology suit- participating NGOs. tance of source segregation has been under- able for treatment of bio-medical waste, L Develop and share resources through taken in both communities. other available technologies such as networking. The Communities and Waste team has autoclaving should be looked at since incin- The workshop had some immediate also distributed posters on segregation of eration causes health and environment haz- positive outcomes, of which the important waste, leaflets in Hindi titled ‘Kooda Kahan ards through toxic emission and ash. one was the issuing of notices to two large Se Aaye Aur Kooda Kahan Jaye,’ and fly- Dr Pratima of the Himalayan Institute healthcare facilities at Lucknow: King ers in English on ‘How to become a Zero Hospital (HIHT), Dehradun, in her pres- George Medical College and Sanjay Gan- Waste Community by implementing Su- entation revealed that the hospital has shut dhi Post Graduate Institute, for not manag- preme Court rulings on waste management’. down its incinerator, which not only saves ing their waste properly. By Mohammad Tariq cost but also prevents environmental pollu- By Prashant Pastore

9 Toxics Dispatch No 27 cinerators in all hospitals/nursing homes which have more than 50 beds, citing the PIL filed in Mumbai on reason that the existing guidelines published by the Central Pollution Control Board Workshop on bio-medical Bio-medical Waste (CPCB) are not followed. and municipal solid waste In the affidavit, the MPCB has informed umbai-based Consumer Welfare As- the court that it has directed the local body management in Bhopal Msociation, a non-governmental or- to set up four BMW incinerators in he fourth regional workshop on mu- ganisation, has filed a Public Interest Liti- Mumbai. According to the MPCB affida- Tnicipal and bio-medical waste manage- gation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court vit, a final report has been prepared and ment was organised in Bhopal on February to address the issue of bio-medical waste the new incinerators are expected to be built 24-25, 2006. The two-day event saw the (BMW) management in Mumbai. in the east, west, north and south parts of participation of delegates from the states of Filed in July 2005, the PIL states that the city, each capable of handling waste gen- Madhya Pradesh, Jharkand, Orissa and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corpora- erated by about 10,000 beds. MPCB offi- Chattisgarh. tion’s (BMC’s) reluctance to take firm ac- cials said that the techno-environmental vi- The workshop aimed at creating a com- tion against the growing menace of mishan- ability will be checked and the facilities will mon platform for Pollution Control Boards dling of bio-medical waste is playing havoc use MPCB licensed transporters to bring (PCBs), municipalities, healthcare insti- with the health of the city’s residents. Ac- in the waste. tutes, grassroot NGOs and individuals as- tivist A.M. Mascarenhas, who filed the pe- Currently, the city’s 1,271 hospitals with sociated with solid waste and medical waste. tition, said that improper handling and dis- 31,455 beds are linked to a single BMW so that they can share their skills and de- posal of BMW is causing the spread of HIV management facility at the GTB hospital velop a wider understanding of practices on and hepatitis B/C viruses. at Sewree. It is capable of handling 5,500 waste management in the region. In the petition, the BMC and the kg whereas 8,000 kg of waste is generated The first day of the workshop was dedi- Maharashtra Pollution Control Board daily. The remainder is mixed with the mu- cated to bio-medical waste issues and the (MPCB) have been asked to construct in- nicipal solid waste. There have also been second day focussed on municipal solid reports of the Sewree incinerator not func- waste management. Apart from these two tioning. The garbage has not been segre- issues, the workshop also touched upon is- gated and there is a shortage of vehicles to sues related to Persistent Organic Pollut- transport the waste. ants (POPs). The PIL also seeks the formation of an For more information, contact: advisory committee consisting of experts in [email protected] the fields of medicine, health, environment and citizen’s groups which will advice the Conference on sustainable MPCB on implementing the CPCB rules on BMW. The key is that MPCB must MSW management in work closely with hospitals and their asso- developing countries ciations to reduce the quantity of waste gen- erated. athmandu University (KU) and De- By Kishore Wankhade Kvelopment Network (DNet) organ- ised an ‘International Conference for a Bet- ter Tomorrow – Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries’ in WHO policy on mercury Kathmandu, Nepal from January 8-13, 2006. The conference was organised in WHO has released a policy on mercury usage in healthcare insitutions. The policy goes close cooperation with Kalmar University, beyond public healthcare, and depends on a country’s governmental systems, such as LAQUA Group and International Foun- dation of Science (IFS). the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Welfare, and the municipalities, as they have an The aim of the conference was to im- important role to play. This document also proposes short-, medium- and long-term prove MSW management through strength- strategies to cope with the challenges of mercury exposure faced in many developing ening scientific capacity, developing network countries. and partnership, promoting research and developing local technologies. For more information, visit www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/medicalwaste/ Toxics Link made a presentation on mercurypolpaper.pdf ‘Toxics Free Healthcare: A case for phas- By Ratna Singh ing out of mercury’ at the conference. By Priti Mahesh

Toxics Dispatch No 27 10 Samuha Vikas, Orissa NURSES’ BOOKLET A handy pocket-sized amuha Vikas was initiated by a booklet titled ‘Towards a group of trained like-minded pro- S safer workplace’ has been fessionals working in Gram Vikas, a pre- mier institute of Orissa working in the published by Toxics Link. development field for the last three dec- The booklet is aimed at the ades. Samuha Vikas was registered in nursing staff which plays a 1992, and started field-based activities critical role in implementing in 1994. The organisation’s mission is to start the bio-medical waste management system a sustainable process of intervention that tion on their lives and livelihoods. The of a hospital. will facilitate a dignified quality of life objective is to institutionalise people’s ‘Bindas’, our spokesperson on waste for the weaker sections of society and will organisations, Panchayati Raj Institu- issues, informs nurses about the potential enable them to participate in the main- tions (PRI) and the Eco-Task Force to stream development process through address environmental equity and pol- hazards in their workplace and how to take collective action and skill development. lution issues in a coordinated manner. due precautions. The booklet covers issues It also aims to institutionalise people’s Establishing proper linkages among peo- of sharps management, waste segregation, organisation for management of their ple’s organisations, the Eco-Task Force, disinfection, treatment of chemicals such as own resource base such as land, water, Disaster Preparedness Groups, the Pol- forest, credit, livestock, social infrastruc- lution Control Board and the district ad- mercury and glutaraldehyde and the ture, human resources and environment. ministration for mitigation of the issues importance of accident reporting. The ultimate goals are sustained liveli- in a sustainable manner is another ob- In the booklet, Bindas stresses the hood, eco-friendly environment and a jective of the programme. importance of safe handling, collection, gender-balanced society. The activities proposed include: The organisation has taken up activi- L A detailed study of environment and storage, treatment and disposal of bio- ties related to an alternative banking sys- pollution issues of the villages situ- medical waste. tem, an integrated tribal development ated along the 480 km coastline. programme, and livelihood and environ- L Capacity building of people’s organi- POSTER: ment concerns along with the issue of sations and PRI. WARD KI SAFAI air and water pollution caused in the area L Formation and strengthening of an of operation by Oswal Chemicals and Eco Task Force with legal education AAP KI Fertilisers Ltd. It has also taken up re- on environmental issues and pollu- SURAKSHA lief and rehabilitation work at the time tion control. The housekeeping of natural disasters. L Organising village-level workshops staff of a hospital is Samuha Vikas is one of the recipi- and district level campaigns. ents of the 2005 Environmental Small L Development of IEC materials to cre- often left out during Grants awarded by the Environmental ate awareness. training sessions Equity and Justice Partnership (EEJP). L Legal measures on restriction of pertaining to bio- Samuha has proposed a 12-month prawn cultivation on coast lines. medical waste project to promote environmental equity L Developing linkages between the and protection of industrial pollution in Pollution Control Boards and new management. Jagatsingpur and Kendrapara districts factories for installing pollution-free Toxics Link has of Orissa. safety measures. released a poster in Hindi titled ‘Ward ki safai The project area is under serious aap ki suraksha’. threat from water and air pollution due For more details, contact: to the existing and newly proposed fac- Radhakanta Das The poster focusses on various Do’s and tories in the area, along with the deple- Secretary, Samuha Vikas Don’ts regarding handling of waste in a tion of mangrove forests. Post Office Bahadajhola, hospital and stresses the use of protective The project aims to create awareness District Nayagarh gear such as gloves, shoes and masks. among the people on environmental eq- Orissa 752082 uity and the impact of industrial pollu- E-mail: [email protected] For more information and to obtain your copies, contact [email protected]

11 Toxics Dispatch No 27 FACT FILE

found in paints, coatings, anodes and electrical equipment of ships. These parts are often dumped on or burnt in the ship- breaking yards, causing widespread etoxics group pollution of the area. Toxics Link coordinates an electronic M The ‘ballast water’ that is intentionally discussion group for sharing and brought on board ships in order to adjust disseminating information on toxic their stability is released in these yards. wastes and its management. If you Ship-breaking facts This water pollutes the coastal area with would like to join the group, please e- oil, biocides and heavy metals. mail us at [email protected] The French warship Le Clemenceau M In India, there are three ship-breaking renewed media interest on the toxicity of yards – in Alang and Pipavav in Gujarat, ship-breaking and associated occupa- If you have suggestions or require and Mumbai in Maharashtra. The tional hazards. We present here some information, please contact: Government of Andhra Pradesh has given ground realities about the ship-breaking permission for a mega ship-breaking Toxics Link – Delhi industry: project at Vodarevu. M H2 (Ground Floor) Up to the 1970s, ship-breaking was M It has been found that about one in Jungpura Extension done in Europe but as the costs of four workers in Alang suffer from cancer. New Delhi 110 014 environmental safety increased, the M Worldwide, more than 100,000 T:+91-(0)11-24328006, 24320711 operation moved to poorer Asian workers face the hazards of ship-breaking E: [email protected] countries. without any protective gear such as M Approximately 600-700 large sea shoes, gloves or masks. Toxics Link – Mumbai vessels are brought to the harbours of M Under an amendment of the Basel Garage No 2, Plot No 4, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China and Convention, passed in October 2004, the Baba Nanak Sahib Cooperative Turkey for breaking. ships to be broken cannot leave a country Housing Society Ltd, M Most of the ships that are being without permission of the importing state. Laxmi Colony, RC Marg, Chembur, scrapped now were built before the Moreover, the signatories to the treaty Mumbai 400 074 banning of many toxic substances. These must assure that ship-breaking is E: [email protected] hazardous wastes are now released on performed in an environmentally sound Asian beaches, polluting the environment. manner. Toxics Link – Chennai M Heavy metals such as asbestos, Compiled by Sejuti Sarkar De 8, Fourth Street chromium, mercury, lead and arsenic are Source: www.greenpeaceweb.org/shipbreak Venkateswara Nagar Adyar Chennai 600 020 T: +91-(0)44-24914358, 24460387 E: [email protected]

Quotes from the Earth is a compilation of films on the themes of Hunger, Water and I: www.toxicslink.org Survival. Films can be borrowed for screening against a nominal security deposit. Entries are invited for the forthcoming film festival on November 3-5, 2006. Toxics Link is an initiative of the View the details at www.toxicslink.org/filmfestival/. Just Environment Charitable Trust

Designed by Splash! Communications, e-mail [email protected] Toxics Dispatch No 27 Illustrations by Vishwajyoti Ghosh