PressTV - Report: Asia facing epidemic of worker deaths

PressTV - Report: Asia facing epidemic of worker deaths: It is not known how many Asia workers are suffering from occupational diseases, but the report has warned of an epidemic in the region. The report, released by the Asia Monitor Resource Center, covered Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand, said industrial poisoning and unhealthy workplaces have created many invisible victims. In India alone, there are about 1,000 fatal accidents every year and work related health risks magnified due to an acute shortage of proper medical facilities, malnutrition and poor sanitation.

Khmerization: ILO and Labour Ministry call for Improved Health and Safety at Work

April 30th will see a large-scale event take place in Kampong Som city, Sihanoukville Province to mark this year’s National Day for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT) with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO) will organize the event on the theme of Promoting Safety and Health in Small and Medium Enterprises as an effective measure to promote safe and healthy workplaces.

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Aust must be asbestos free: ACTU

Aust must be asbestos free: ACTU: Australia's buildings must be asbestos free by 2030 regardless of the cost of the widespread removal of the deadly construction product, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) says.

Firms need to handle e-waste recycling with care - South India - Orissa - ibnlive

Firms need to handle e-waste recycling with care - South India - Orissa - ibnlive: BHUBANESWAR: With the e-waste Management & Handling Rules, 2011 coming into effect from May 1, the Odisha Government departments as well as educational institutions are going to be the key for it is how they respond to the new norms which will decide its success.

Rajasthan HC slaps Rs 50 crore on marble mining companies, IBN Live News

Rajasthan HC slaps Rs 50 crore on marble mining companies, IBN Live News: Jodhpur, Apr 27 (PTI) The Rajasthan High Court on Friday slapped a fine of Rs. 50 crores on the Sangemarmar Khan Vikas Samiti (SKVS), disposing off a petition filed by the Centre in 1996 regarding marble mining in Makrana leading to destruction of Jodhpur-Jaipur railway track. The court also ordered halt to mining within 45 meters of any road and railway track with immediate effect and ordered a CBI inquiry against all those mining officials who were posted in Makrana during this violation by identifying them. The petitioner had identified 61 such mines which continued to be operational despite the stay by the court in 1996,

Worker Memorial Day video - we work to Live; Not Die

We work to Live; Not Die

Report Exposes Extent of Workplace Death and Disease in Asia

Asia is facing an onslaught of work-related deaths and diseases. Of the 2.2 million people who die each year all over the world as a result of work-related accidents or illness, 1.1 million are Asian. Yet the problem of workplace health and safety and its victims remain invisible, according to a new report released today in commemoration of Workers Memorial Day by the Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC), a Solidarity Center partner.

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Workplace poisoning killing millions of Asians each year, says new report | World news | guardian.co.uk

Millions of Asian people are contracting fatal diseases at work but their suffering is ignored, unreported and uncompensated, according to a new report by a labour rights group. Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC) says poisoning in unhealthy workplaces is creating untold numbers of "invisible victims of development".

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China Victim Struggle

Press Release - April 26 | Asia Monitor Resource Centre

Asia is home to some of the most dangerous workplaces in the world. The ILO estimates that 1.1 million work-related deaths, accounting for over half of the world’s fatalities, take place annually in Asia. On the eve of International Workers Memorial Day on April 28, Hong Kong-based Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC) released a detailed report from six Asian countries namely China, India, Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia to portray the real situation of occupational safety and health (OSH) on the ground and the struggle of workers, victims and their families to gain recognition, compensation and justice.

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Pro-asbestos advocacy group shuts its doors

The Montreal-based Chrysotile Institute issued the notice in the Canada Gazette — the government’s official publication for announcing new laws and other public information. The institute, first formed in 1984, promotes the safe use of chrysotile asbestos on behalf of Canada’s asbestos mining industry.

Pro-asbestos advocacy group shuts its doors:

Asia facing 'epidemic' of worker deaths, report warns

"He's thankful to the stone because it helped him survive for so long. But now that he has lost so much, it is also a feeling of anger," Makwana told CNN through an interpreter, Mohit Gupta, the co-ordinator for the Occupational, Environmental Health Network of India.
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Miners get help in fight against disease - China

Miners get help in fight against disease: In recent years, mining accidents have provoked great public concern in China. However, despite being low-profile, black lung disease is a bigger cause of employee deaths. Data from a National Conference on Coal Mine Black Lung Disease show that 2.65 million people work in China's coal mines. All are regularly exposed to dust particles and approximately 57,000 contract black lung disease every year, resulting in a death toll of about 6,000, twice the number caused by production accidents.

Regulations on asbestos levels strengthened - Korea

The government said it will also limit the permissible level of asbestos near sites removing the material to 0.01 part per cubic centimeter. Any imports or production of material possibly containing asbestos will need the approval of the environment minister, it added.

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Poverty will be eliminated in 8 years, says plan panel - Hindustan Times

Poverty will be eliminated in 8 years, says plan panel - Hindustan Times: As per the 2009-10 data, the panel had estimated that poverty has come down to 29.8%, a dip of 7.4%. The figure raised an adverse reaction, with many stating that the poverty line was unrealistic. Eventually, the government constituted another expert group for estimating poverty.

On Earth Day, environmentalists urge Aquino to declare a moratorium on destructive mining - Bulatlat

On Earth Day, environmentalists urge Aquino to declare a moratorium on destructive mining - Bulatlat: Quezon City, Philippines – Environmentalists formed a human chain in Quezon Memorial Circle Sunday, April 22, in celebration of Earth Day 2012 which they took also as occasion to challenge the Aquino government to implement a nationwide moratorium on large-scale mining.

Cost of destroying endosulfan puts govt in a quandary - The Times of India

Cost of destroying endosulfan puts govt in a quandary - The Times of India: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Supreme Court's notice to the central government asking to come out with measures to dispose the banned pesticide endosulfan by June 23 has put state government in a quandary.

Apple squeezes profits from phone companies, competing electronics manufacturers - The Washington Post

Apple squeezes profits from phone companies, competing electronics manufacturers - The Washington Post: Apple is set to report another record quarterly profit on Tuesday, continuing the relentless string of results that’s made it the world’s most valuable company. Those profits don’t come out of thin air: A range of businesses —from the company’s wireless carrier friends to its PC-making foes— are seeing their profits melt away and flow to Apple’s bottom line.

Occupational disease claims another life in Mehsana - Indian Express

Occupational disease claims another life in Mehsana - Indian Express: A woman who once worked in a polyacrylate factory in Mehsana’s Kadi town died from a respiratory ailment this Saturday, nine months after her husband allegedly committed suicide over what relatives believe was extreme dejection that his spouse would never recover. The couple leaves behind two children, an eight-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl.

South African gold miners launch largest lawsuit in Africa's history

Over the past century 40 percent of all gold mined has come from South Africa.

But all that glitters is definitely not gold. The rock that bears gold also contains silica, which causes a disease called silicosis, when silica lodges in the lungs. It is estimated that half of South Africa's gold miners suffer from the life-threatening disease.

Michael Cohen, a reporter covering the story for Bloomberg News in Capetown, South Africa, said though thousands of miners have been affected, the full scale of the issue is unknown.


South African gold miners launch largest lawsuit in Africa's history | PRI.ORG

Earth Day blockade at massive mine site in the Philipines

 Yesterday, vehicles blocked the way to the development site of the foreign-backed Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) in Tampakan town, Philippines. But is unclear who exactly was behind these blockades. For some weeks now, members of the B’laan tribe in Bong Mal have set up their own barricades against SMI, in protest of the mining firm’s plan to relocate them out of their ancestral lands.

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Bauxite mining should stop in Eastern Ghats, Union Tribal minister writes to Andhra governor

Union Tribal Welfare Minister V. Kishore Chandra Deo's letter to Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan seeking his intervention in stopping of bauxite mining in the tribal areas of Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts has created ripples in the state political circles.

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Silicosis: NGO accuses Guj govt of turning back on 238 victims, IBN Live News

Indore, Apr 22 (PTI) An NGO here today alleged that the Gujarat Government was shrinking from its responsibility of compensating the family members of as many as 238 labourers from Madhya Pradesh who died of silicosis while working in the quartz factories in Gujarat over last fifteen years. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 2010 had recommended to provide the damages to the tune of Rs 3 lakh each to the kin of the 238 workers but not a single penny has been paid to them so far by the Gujarat government, Silicosis Peedit Sangh's key activist, Amulya Nidhi, told PTI. Though the Gujarat government makes tall claims about growth and development but it continues to harbour "inhuman attitude" towards the victims of silicosis and is overlooking NHRC's recommendations in this regard, he said.

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Mongolia's "ninja" miners help sate China lust for gold, IBN Live News

 In a hot, concrete hut filled with acetylene fumes, an elderly Mongolian miner struggles to contain her excitement as she plucks a sizzling inch-long nugget of gold from a grubby cooling pot and raises it to the light. Khorloo, 65, and her sons spent the day scrutinising half a dozen CCTV screens as workers at the Bornuur gold processing plant whittled 1.2 tonnes of ore down to 123 grams of pure gold that could earn the family as much as $6,000.

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BBC News - Unused e-waste discarded in China raises questions

Adam Minter, author of the Shanghai Scrap blog, says he found boxes of defective but unused electronic components discarded at Guiyu - still in the original packaging from HP, Panasonic and Samsung. But Samsung Electronics denies any involvement in discarding the equipment, and says the components were manufactured many years ago. HP and Panasonic did not comment on the specifics of the case.

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Call Center Workers Voice Problems: 1 In 4 Has Experienced Sore Throat, Voice Loss Or Breathlessness

"Policies on voice care should exist in all call centre environments, and should be reviewed regularly. Going forward, there needs to be an emphasis on the prevention of voice problems within the industry –- to maintain optimal vocal health," study researcher Dr. Diane Hazlett, the head of the School of Communication at the University of Ulster, said in a statement. "Employers in this sector need to show they better recognize just how important the voice is, to having a healthy, well supported workforce and a thriving business."

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Should Apple Take Responsibility For Concerns Over Its Chinese Labor Practices?

The EPI, along with Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM), the Workers Rights Consortium, and others, recently held a forum to raise awareness of these issues. Their research, as Eisenbrey explained to us, found that Foxconn’s Chinese factory employees work 60-70 hours per week, are exposed to dangerous chemicals, experience explosions from uncontrolled aluminum dust, and are under a military-style of management.

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OSH Rights: April 2012, No 24

In This Issue

• ANROEV 2011 Conference Report 
• Jaipur Declaration towards ban on use of Asbestos 
• Belgian family wins historic case against Eternit 
• Landmark Victory for Italian Asbestos Victims 
• Japan Achieves Total Asbestos Ban 
• Trade Unions Along with Civil Society Groups Establish Thai-BAN Asbestos 
• Victims win Case in Japan

OSH Rights: April 2012, No 24 | ANROEV

New items at e-waste dump linked to lead -- Shanghai Daily

Workers use primitive recycling methods - using highly corrosive and dangerous acid baths - to extract gold from the scrapped metals along the river bank, with virtually no protective equipment, an unnamed industrial insider told the Bloomberg blog. But they turn a blind eye to the side effects, encouraged by the adage that a van of electronic waste can create a millionaire. "We just spend 600 yuan (US$95) on a ton of waste Intel chips, but we can extract six kilograms of gold," an unnamed worker said.

New items at e-waste dump linked to lead -- Shanghai Daily:

Samsung claims Apple infringed eight patents in reply to Apple suit

 Samsung Electronics alleged in a counterclaim to an Apple patent infringement lawsuit in federal court in California that the maker of the iPhone and iPad has infringed eight of its patents.
Samsung claims Apple infringed eight patents in reply to Apple suit:

Charity Walk for Wittenoom's Children

Wittenoom, the name strikes fear into the hearts of people in Western Australia (WA). For decades, the Wittenoom mine operated by the Australian multinational CSR (Colonial Sugar Refinery) and its subsidiary Australian Blue Asbestos produced a huge tonnage of crocidolite (blue) asbestos. It also produced Australia's greatest industrial catastrophe. Despite knowing what exposure to blue asbestos could do to human beings, the mine owners allowed deadly practices and unsafe working conditions to persist in its mining and milling operations, and even in the town of Wittenoom itself, by allowing contaminated mine tailings to be used throughout the township in both public and private projects. From the early 1940s until the mine closed in 1966, more than 20,000 people have lived in Wittenoom, amongst which were 4000 children. It is believed that 10% of Wittenoom's residents (2,000) have died of asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
Charity Walk for Wittenoom's Children: 

Charity Walk for Wittenoom's Children

Despite knowing what exposure to blue asbestos could do to human beings, the mine owners allowed deadly practices and unsafe working conditions to persist in its mining and milling operations, and even in the town of Wittenoom itself, by allowing contaminated mine tailings to be used throughout the township in both public and private projects. From the early 1940s until the mine closed in 1966, more than 20,000 people have lived in Wittenoom, amongst which were 4000 children. It is believed that 10% of Wittenoom's residents (2,000) have died of asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
Charity Walk for Wittenoom's Children

Goldman Prize

Winner of the Goldmans Environmental Prize 2012 in Environmental policy in China Ma’s most recent high-profile effort involved Apple, one of 29 companies named in a 2010 Green IT report about heavy metal pollution in China—and the only one that did not respond, citing a long-term policy not to disclose its supplier information. He led a coalition of NGOs to launch a “Poison Apple” campaign to protest the company’s lack of supply chain oversight. In September 2011, after a year and a half of silence, Apple approached Chinese environmental groups and began to drive its suppliers to clean up their practices. Ma Jun and his partners continue to communicate with Apple representatives on a regular basis

| Goldman Prize:

AMWU - Asbestos — can the world beat the toxic time bomb?

AMWU - Asbestos — can the world beat the toxic time bomb?: The AMWU Acting National Secretary, Paul Bastian, explains how Australian trade unions are leading the call for a global ban on asbestos.

Long-Term Exposure to Silica Dust and Risk of Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Chinese Workers: A Cohort Study

We studied 74,040 workers who worked at 29 metal mines and pottery factories in China for 1 y or more between January 1, 1960, and December 31, 1974, with follow-up until December 31, 2003 (median follow-up of 33 y). We estimated the cumulative silica dust exposure (CDE) for each worker by linking work history to a job–exposure matrix. We calculated standardized mortality ratios for underlying causes of death based on Chinese national mortality rates. Hazard ratios (HRs) for selected causes of death associated with CDE were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. The population attributable risks were estimated based on the prevalence of workers with silica dust exposure and HRs.
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Exposure to Silica Dust Increases Death Risk | MedIndia

 Importantly, the researchers found that at silica concentrations at or below the workplace exposure limit set by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (0.1mg/m3 ), there were many more deaths (up to 11 times more) than in the general population. Furthermore, the researchers estimated that in 2008, 4.2% of deaths among industrial workers in China were attributable to silica dust exposure.

The authors conclude: "Long-term silica dust exposure was associated with substantially increased mortality among Chinese workers. The increased risk was observed not only for deaths due to respiratory diseases and lung cancer, but also for deaths due to cardiovascular disease."

Exposure to Silica Dust Increases Death Risk | MedIndia:

India’s labour market: strikes and the need for reform | East Asia Forum

India’s labour market: strikes and the need for reform | East Asia Forum: Although these strikers belong to the organised segment of India’s labour market, which represents less than 10 per cent of its 450 million-odd labour force, some parallels can be drawn between this latest event and a series of strikes in the private, unorganised labour sector in recent years. An important common strand is contractualisation of labour, against which even the organised workers were protesting — despite the fact that contract workers are not part of the organised sector.

Motion to Stop Asbestos Mining in Quebec is Denied | Institut Hartheim

Recent legislation introduced to Quebec that attempts to block financing that would reopen the province’s only asbestos mine has been denied, according to a recent Montreal Gazette report.
Lisette Lapointe, an independent who serves in Quebec legislature and is also the wife of former Parti Qu�b�cois premier Jacques Parizeau, introduced the motion yesterday, calling for Quebec to withdraw its offer to provide $58 million in financing to Balcorp Ltd. of Montreal. Of that funding, $25 million would be allocated to reopening the Jeffrey Mine located in the town of Asbestos.
Motion to Stop Asbestos Mining in Quebec is Denied | Institut Hartheim: 

Coal India OKs Fuel Pacts With Power Producers - WSJ.com

 NEW DELHI -- Coal India Ltd.'s board Monday approved a government proposal that it sign fuel-supply agreements with some new power producers in a week, but fixed itself a lower penalty if it fails to meet supply obligations, an executive said.

The diluted penalty obligation lifts key concerns of the board and the U.K.-based minority stakeholder--The Children's Investment Fund Management--which said the strict government clauses on shortfalls in supplies were against the company's interests.

"The board has approved signing of fuel supply pacts," said the executive who didn't wish to be named.
Coal India OKs Fuel Pacts With Power Producers - WSJ.com:

Exploitation among migrant labour

Consciously, today's migrants labour, men and women alike, face various challenges including poor conditions of work and harsh working environments, racism, sexism and labour market discrimination. In addition, women ...

Via www.ukessays.com

India, China Headed for Asbestos Catastrophe: Experts - InternationalBusiness Times

India and China are headed for an absolute catastrophe of death and disease because of likely massive jump in asbestos-related diseases in the coming decades, says a report written by Pulitzer winning journalist Gary Cohn.

Via www.ibtimes.com

Indonesia not only wants to own foreign mining co's, now it will imposehigher taxes on them too | MINING.com

Indonesia wants to have its mining cake and eat it too, as the country, one of the world's largest exporters of copper and coal, will speed up a tax on mining exports, the industry minister Mohamad S.

Via www.mining.com

India among top green economies - Hindustan Times

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

With India receiving $10.2 billion investments in clean energy, the country has emerged as one of the top performing clean energy economies in the 21st century, an eminent American non-profit organisation said in a report.

Via www.hindustantimes.com

Chemical industry workers prone to accidents: The Jakarta Post

Via Scoop.it - Occupational Health

Head of the Jakarta Manpower and Transmigration Agency, Deded Sukandar, said Thursday that it had recorded 800 occupational accidents in the city last year, with most of them taking place in companies producing chemical-related products.

Via www.thejakartapost.com

Microsoft to Buy AOL Patents for More Than $1 Billion

Via Scoop.it - Electronics - Issues and Problems

The lofty price Microsoft paid AOL for 800 patents — $1.3 million each — reflects the crucial role patents are playing in the business and legal strategies of technology companies.

Via www.nytimes.com

How Apple, Foxconn, and others can address labor abuses in overseas factories

Via Scoop.it - Electronics - Issues and Problems

Why do we keep hearing about labor abuses in overseas factories like those of Apple-supplier Foxconn? Auditing and inspections are inadequate to solve the problem.

Via www.csmonitor.com

Tech Needs to Clean House After Apple-Foxconn Fallout - Forbes

Via Scoop.it - Electronics - Issues and Problems

  Source: IHS iSuppli April 2012 Apple's public relations migraine over its suppliers' labor practices in China may be just a headache now, but that doesn't mean that other tech makers are off the hook for how their partners do business.

Via www.forbes.com

Starving in India: A Fight for Life in Bihar

Via Scoop.it - Occupational Health

India Real Time is publishing a six-part series on starvation in India, one of the nation's little-discussed but brutal realities.

Via blogs.wsj.com

Starving in India: Surviving on Toxic Roots

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

India Real Time is publishing a six-part series on starvation in India, one of the nation's little-discussed but brutal realities. Today, author Ashwin Parulkar looks at a tribal group whose desperation to feed itself turned deadly.

Via blogs.wsj.com

A'bad miners demand for release of 2003 NIOH report on asbestosis - India - DNA

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

The protest was held under the aegis of the Rajasthan State Mines Labour Union.

Via www.dnaindia.com

“Turned Away” – Julius' Story « ADAO – Asbestos Disease ...

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

We have been touched by asbestos in individual ways, yet we are joined together by a common bond of community. As a testament to the strength of our global family, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is ...

Via www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org

Independent asbestos report needed: CFMEU - Ninemsn

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

Sydney Morning HeraldIndependent asbestos report needed: CFMEUNinemsnWorkers at Sydney's Barangaroo project shouldn't resume work until formal procedures to prevent asbestos exposure are put in writing, the construction union says.

Via news.ninemsn.com.au

Disruptions: Too Much Silence on Working Conditions

Via Scoop.it - Electronics - Issues and Problems

Makers of tablets and devices could talk more about how they are monitoring their supply chain.

Via bits.blogs.nytimes.com

How Canada exports death and disease to the developing world

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

Canada continues to blocking international action on deadly asbestos, financially supporting the industry and promoting its trade to the developing world.

Via www.independentaustralia.net

Walmart launches training programme for Indian women - Business Today

Via Scoop.it - Occupational Health

Via businesstoday.intoday.in

Asbestos, the outlawed fibre with a licence to kill

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

Asbestos, the outlawed fibre with a licence to kill...

Via www.smh.com.au

Starving in India: The Forgotten Problem

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

Based on government estimates that 35.6% of Indian women and 34.2% of Indian men have BMIs less than 18.5, the Planning Commission’s India Human Development Report states, “If India is not in a state of famine, it is quite clearly in a state of chronic hunger.”

Via blogs.wsj.com

'His hair was white with the dust' - The Age

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

The Age'His hair was white with the dust'The AgeJohn Limpus and one of his team remove asbestos on the central coast.

Via www.theage.com.au

Mining greatest threat to tribals: KC Deo - Economic Times

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

Mining greatest threat to tribals: KC DeoEconomic TimesHYDERABAD: Terming mining as the "greatest threat" faced by the tribal community in last two decades, Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo has asked the youths selected under an ambitious...

Via economictimes.indiatimes.com

from e-waste to e-resource - Deccan Chronicle

Via Scoop.it - Electronics - Issues and Problems

from e-waste to e-resourceDeccan ChronicleBy N. Arun Kumar Students of the department of geography at the Madras University discuss ways to dispose e-waste in a safe way. —DC Don't call them e-waste, but e-resources.

Via www.deccanchronicle.com

Mines, misery and a miracle tree - The Express Tribune

Via Scoop.it - Silicosis - Oldest Occupational Disease

The Express TribuneMines, misery and a miracle treeThe Express Tribune(Right) Sins of the fathers: Both father and daughter suffer from silicosis, an incurable lung condition. (Bottom) The King of the Desert: The Khejri tree.

Via tribune.com.pk

Indian forest-dwellers take battle against mining conglomerate to ...

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

The leaders of thousands of forest-dwelling tribesmen who have fought for years to preserve their ancestral lands from exploitation by an international mining corporation have promised to continue their struggle whatever the ...

Via www.rawstory.com

78% corporates suffer sleep disorder

Via Scoop.it - Occupational Health

New Delhi, Apr 6 (IBNS) Due to demanding schedules and high stress levels, nearly 78% of the corporate employees sleep less than 6 hours on a daily basis which leads to sleep disorders amongst them, according to a recent survey conducted by ASSOCHAM...

Via www.indiablooms.com

Cardiovascular disease mortality among British asbestos workers (1971–2005) -- Harding et al. -- Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

Via oem.bmj.com

Southeast Asia to adopt human rights declaration

Via Scoop.it - Occupational Health

Southeast Asian nations have agreed to adopt this year a human rights declaration to strengthen protection in a region notorious for violations.

Via www.philstar.com

Asbestos review lacks “required records” - McGill Daily

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

Asbestos review lacks “required records”McGill DailyMcGill announced the conclusion of its review into alleged asbestos research misconduct Wednesday morning, and will seek further guidance as to whether an official investigation should be launched.

Via www.mcgilldaily.com

Asbestos hazard: NIOH indifference force mining workers from South Rajasthan to protest

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

The recent agitation by mining workers of South Rajasthan in front of National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmadabad, say Gujarat-based activists, has once again highlighted the plight...

Via counterview.org

Goa government caps mining truck permits - TwoCircles.net

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

IBNLive.comGoa government caps mining truck permitsTwoCircles.netBy IANS, Panaji : In a slew of measures to curb illegal mining, the Goa government has ordered a cap on issuing permits to trucks ferrying iron ore, after suspending nearly 500 iron...

Via twocircles.net

RepRisk releases its report on Top 10 Most Controversial Mining Companies 2011

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

March 15, 2012 - RepRisk has released its new report on the 10 Most Controversial Mining Companies of 2011, benchmarked against the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Principles and other international standards. This report highlights the consequences of environmental, social and governance risks on the companies’ reputations, access to capital and licenses to operate.

Via www.reprisk.com

India's e-waste output jumps 8 times in 7 years - Times of India

Via Scoop.it - Electronics - Issues and Problems

India's e-waste output jumps 8 times in 7 yearsTimes of IndiaIndia's output of e-waste has jumped by eight times in the past seven years and the open yet illegal incineration of massive quantities of such trash may lead to serious public health hazards,...

Via timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Study: Asbestos Exposure Increases Risk of Cardiovascular ...

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

Study: Asbestos Exposure Increases Risk of Cardiovascular Disease. April 4, 2012 - Posted in Heart Disease · Share. Article source: http://www.asbestos.com/news/2012/04/03/asbestos-exposure-stroke- cardiovascular - disease /.

Via coronary-heartdisease.com

I Heart Asbestos - McGill Daily

Via Scoop.it - Asbestos

I Heart AsbestosMcGill DailyWhy does the town of Asbestos, Quebec want to reopen a mine that's been giving its residents cancer for a hundred years?

Via www.mcgilldaily.com

Action Alert - Demand Justice for Sheri – Don’t Let UCLA off the hook

Via Scoop.it - Occupational Health

Action Alert - Demand Justice for Sheri – Don’t Let UCLA off the hook

Via www.change.org

Mining threatens Mongolia's tourism - Aljazeera.com

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

Mining threatens Mongolia's tourismAljazeera.com"Mining could change that." In recent years, mining has eclipsed tourism as an engine of growth in Mongolia.

Via www.aljazeera.com

Illegal mining: Noose tightens on Goa bureaucrat - Zee News

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

Illegal mining: Noose tightens on Goa bureaucratZee NewsPanaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has assured of "appropriate" action against a senior bureaucrat for his alleged complicity in the illegal mining scam.

Via zeenews.india.com

Iron ore not a strategic mineral: Mines ministry - Indian Express

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

Iron ore not a strategic mineral: Mines ministryIndian ExpressThe mines ministry has shot down the steel ministry's proposal that iron ore should be classified as “ a strategic mineral”.

Via www.indianexpress.com

'India fairs badly in regulating money in politics' - Hindustan Times

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

India is among the lowest scoring countries on political finance regulation, according to a report. Global Integrity Report for 2011 released indicates that developing as well as developed countries are equally struggling in this regard.

Via www.hindustantimes.com

RPT-A massive coal pitfall for India's industrial ambitions - Reuters

Via Scoop.it - Mining_Asia

Zee NewsRPT-A massive coal pitfall for India's industrial ambitionsReuters(Repeats earlier story with no change in text) By Jatindra Dash ANGUL, India, March 30 (Reuters) - Ten years after announcing the project, Jindal Power and Steel is still waiting...

Via www.reuters.com

Rajasthani miners' protest continues

Rajasthani miners' protest continues

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Rajasthani-miners-protest-continues/articleshow/12497436.cms

AHMEDABAD: Mine labourers from Rajasthan dare the rising mercury in the city as they continue their protest in front of National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) office at Meghani Nagar on Sunday. The labourers have been demanding the reports of their health check ups conducted by NIOH first in 2005 and again in 2011.

The labourers who have gathered, since Friday, under the banner of Rajasthan State Mine Labour Union claim that they have sought the reports several times in the past, but to no avail. Without the report, the laborers and their families have not been able to get free medical treatment and claim compensations for deaths due to lung diseases.

Dharmendra Gorna, secretary of Rajasthan State Mine Labour Union said, "We will continue with the protest until we get the results."

R K Manohar, secretary of Occupational Health and Safety Association, which is supporting the protest, explained that NIOH had conducted a health checkup of the workers in 2005 but never revealed the report. A total of 20 mine workers have already died since then but their families could not claim any compensation because of the absence of reports. "The report of the check up in 2005 was never revealed. NIOH, however, conducted another survey in 2011. The officials promised to give us the result by February 2011 and later postponed to March 29," said Manohar.

Director of NIOH, P K Nag refused to comment saying that the matter is sub judice.