Workers of the Chrysotile Industry Celebrate Chrysotile Asbestos Protection Day

MOSCOW, April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Alliance of Trade Union Organizations "Chrysotile" congratulated chrysotile industry workers on April 16th, the Chrysotile Asbestos Protection Day. On this day, workers from Russia, Kazakhstan and other countries call on people to remember the role that the chrysotile industry plays in providing millions of people with affordable products made with chrysotile asbestos.

The Alliance "Chrysotile" believes that a controlled use of chrysotile is indispensable. Studies conducted by independent research organisations, institutes (Analysis of Link Between Working Conditions and Health of Workers Employed in Extraction and Refinement of Chrysotile, Russia, Izmerov Research Institute of Occupational Health under the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2000) and independent groups of researchers claim that when used under controlled conditions, chrysotile is safe both for workers employed in asbestos production facilities and for end-consumers.

Nevertheless, the issue of including chrysotile on the list of highly hazardous substances is regularly raised at meetings of the Rotterdam Convention. Those opposed to chrysotile cite irrelevant studies of already banned types of asbestos which have no similarity to chrysotile.

The International Chrysotile Protection Day in Russia and Kazakhstan featured events aimed at supporting the position of the Alliance and its supporters. Thus, the Uralasbest industrial complex supported the publication of the book called A Generation of Winners, which tells stories of the oldest veterans of the chrysotile production industry.

A dance show called the Golden Threads of the Urals was also organised for the veterans, during which female students of the Ailis oriental dance school performed dances tied to the idea of chrysotile. What's more, the Chrysotile Protection Day also featured a meeting of the Women for Safe Labour and Social Stability movement. The participants talked about projects they had already completed and discussed plans for the future.

The International Alliance of Trade Union Organizations "Chrysotile" calls on the participants of the Rotterdam Convention to pay close attention to the mineral's uses and establish their decision on the basis of scientific conclusions which have demonstrated that controlled use of chrysotile is safe.