Dubbed the "poor man's roof", asbestos is a booming industry in India. Backed by government concessions and subsidies, asbestos cement roofing is steadily replacing safer options such as thatch, tile or steel. Beyond asbestos, nearly half a million tons of e-waste are dumped in India yearly, which could double in the next ten years due to liberal economic policies. Without the regulatory structures to protect civilians from such harmful materials-- what other hazardous wastes are being dumped on developing countries and what is the true extent of their impact?

The purpose of the Rotterdam Convention is to "promote open exchange of information and calls on exporters of hazardous chemicals to use proper labeling, include directions on safe handling, and inform purchasers of any known restrictions or bans." However, chrysolite is not a banned substance in the convention. The Chrysotile Institute, an asbestos industry funded organization, said that the use of chrysotile does not pose an environmental problem and the inherent risks in its use are limited to the workplace. Postmedia broke the news June 2011 that Canada derailed international efforts to list chrysotile asbestos on Annex III of the convention just as a consensus was emerging. 

The toxicity is obviously no secret-- asbestos litigation is the longest-running mass tort litigation in U.S. history. Through 2002, approximately 730,000 individuals who had been exposed to asbestos have brought claims against some 8,400 business entities, and almost as many more future claims are likely. Chrysotile has been included with other forms of asbestos, in being considered to be a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How can this happen? To watch: 

Al Jazeera. "India: Toxic Trade." http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2012/01/201211710224787...

Citations

Al Jazeera. "Faces of China: Heavy Metal." January 25, 2011. Accessed February 29, 2012. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/facesofchina/2011/01/2011117847...

Al Jazeera. "India: A Matter of Waste."September 10, 2010. Accessed February 29, 2012. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/facesofchina/2011/01/2011117847...

Al Jazeera. "India: Toxic Trade." January 26, 2012. Accessed February 29,2012. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2012/01/201211710224787... 

Canada.com "Internal dispatches from UN meeting show how Canada derailed asbestos listing." February 22, 2012. Accessed February 29, 2012. http://blogs.canada.com/2012/02/22/internal-dispatches-from-un-meet...

RAND. "Asbestos Litigation." Accessed February 29, 2012. http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG162.html

Safe Planet. Accessed February 29, 2012. http://safepla.net/index.html