New Delhi, Nov 12: Describing chrysotile asbestos as amongst the least hazardous industrial fibres, the Rs 2,000 crore industry today said banning its use in favour of other fibres will be both "dangerous and irresponsible". "India uses only six per cent of the total chrysotile asbestos production in the world. In any case asbestos cement (AC) in AC products is only 8-9 per cent, the rest being cement and fly ash," chairman, Asbestos Cement Products' Manufacturers Association, A K Saraf, said here.
Addressing a two-day conference on chrysotile asbestos, he said the commodity does not pose any health hazards. In the west, asbestos is used mainly in friable form and for insulation purposes in the buildings whereas in India almost 95 per cent of its consumption is in ac products.
He said on the contrary, the industry is assisting in fighting the environmental menace created by accumulation of fly ash, a waste generated by thermal power plants.
AC industry uses almost five lakh tonne of fly ash as raw material. It also saves 1.4 billion units of electricity annually which otherwise would have been required to produce alternative metallic substitutes. Ac products consume almost 35 times less energy in production as compared to competitive products, he added.
Saraf's comments and the international conclave held here come in the backdrop of demand by corporates, pressure groups and governments worldwide for this substance to be banned to protect public health. Bureau Report