Silicosis in India

Though there has been so much news out of South Africa and Turkey regarding those countries' struggles to combat silicosis, government officials in India have also been struggling with how to deal with an increase in silicosis victims. A recent feature in the Times of India highlights the struggles of a twenty-something man who is dying of silicosis. Most of the man's family has also died from the disease that he contracted after working in a quartz crushing factory in the Indian state of Gujarat. The crushed quartz is then used in the making of glass products.

From many of our posts, it may seem that silicosis is a relatively new occupational health issue, when in actuality this is far from the truth. Dr. Basil Varkey, who wrote the WebMD article on the silicosis, notes that while the condition has been noted as an occupational health hazard for centuries, more cases are now being reported due to an increase in mechanized stone-crushing practices. This increase combined with a lack of modern industrial hygiene practices in the developing world is leading to a noticeable increase in silicosis cases worldwide.

India Sets New Standard for Shipbreaking

India's Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) now has primary responsibility for approving whether or not individual ships should be broken down in the country's harbors. Shipbreaking provides scrap steel to India's burgeoning steel industry, accounting for nearly seven percent of the country's overall steel production. Until recently, the industry has gone largely unregulated despite many of the ships being insulated with asbestos and widespread international concerns about the health of Indian shipyard workers. The port of Alang is the center of India's shipbreaking industry, but has seen a steady decline in recent years. Many local business leaders are concerned that government regulation could further hurt the city's future prospects.

As Promised...New Drug-resistant TB on the Rise

XDR, a new drug-resistant form of TB is creating a scare in the U.S. According to this Sunday San Jose Mercury News article, Mexico, China, India, Vietnam and the Philippines are the sources of most new TB-cases in foreign-born people in California. If the number of cases continue to increase, officials say that they may implement quarantine measures not seen in th U.S. in 70 years.

TB Returns to International Stage

Tuberculosis outbreaks, which no longer make headlines in the developed world, are unfortunately making a comeback in the developing world. Diagnosing TB has never been easy due to a significant latency period. According to the Indian newspaper, The Statesman, the Indian government routinely underestimates the number of TB patients. Even officials in the developed world are now being forced to take notice of the growing threat since there has been a series of recent isolated outbreaks in the United States, one in New Mexico and the other in Northern California. In response to growing concern, the San Jose Mercury News is running a major feature on TB this Sunday.

India's Agate Workers Demand Additional Government Compensation

A March 17th article highlights the struggles of Indian agate workers in the city of Khambhat suffering from silicosis. Agate is a mineral most commonly used to make jewelry. In response to workers' recent demands for government compensation, the government has set-up camps throughout the area, but the workers are demanding more "real" forms of compensation.

It was interesting to learn more about the history of the agate industry in Khambhat from a 2002 Asian Labour Update article. Apparently, silicosis is nothing new to the inhabitants of this city of 80,000 on India's western frontier. The mining, crafting and polishing of agate jewelry employs nearly 30,000 in the area and has been a major industry there for hundreds of years. It's unclear why this has become such a hot button issue over the past year.