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Stone-Crushing Workers in Lalmonirhat

Silicosis death toll rising
S Dilip Roy, Lalmonirhat
The stone-crushing workers in Patgram upazila are left to suffer as most are too poor to afford treatment for an irreversible lung disease silicosis which is their occupational hazard.
Silicosis is a disease caused by silicon poisoning -- a common side-effect of working in stone-crushing yards. The workers breathe in the silica dust while working in the yards, and the silicon settles in their lungs, slowly solidifying their respiratory systems.
Patgram is dotted with hundreds of stone-crushing yards, where large mountain boulders imported from Bhutan or India are broken down into small chips and fine powder to make products for mosaic, plaster, and building construction.
At least 67 stone-crushing workers died of silicosis in the last six to seven years, said Burimari Union Parishad Chairman Abu Sayed Newaz Nishat, adding he has a list of 100 stone-crushing workers with the disease in the union.
However, the number could be higher as more than 20,000 workers are employed in the stone-crushing industry there, he stated.
There is no official figure for the total number of deaths resulting from silicosis.
When the stone-crushing yards first started operations, impoverished villagers of the border area flocked to sell their labour, but soon realised the job came with fatal side-effects.
Stone-crushing workers affected by this disease have become physically weak and lost their ability to work. With poverty and hunger hanging over the workers’ heads, they are left with nothing to do but wait for death.
Fifty-five-year-old Tofazzal Hossain, from Kamarerhat village in Burimari, has been suffering from silicosis for seven years.
He was forced to sell his lone asset -- eight decimals of land -- to meet his treatment costs. After selling his land, he sought shelter on other’s land.
“I have been dying of this disease for the past six years,” said Tofazzal.
“We used to work as a group of 15 people all of us have been affected by silicosis. Only eight of us are alive now,” he said.
Worker Momin Ali had explained to a correspondent of this newspaper last year that the silicosis-affected workers need to take Pulfibro, a life-saving medication for these workers, four times a day. Each pill costs Tk 60.
Today, the workers earn between Tk 360 and Tk 400 a day for their labour.
Pulfibro, the brand name for the drug Pirfenidone, reduces the fibrous tissue formations which fill up the air pockets inside the lungs of the silicosis affected workers. As long as the silicon resides in the lungs of the workers, the lungs will continue to envelope the pollutant with scar tissue, and the workers will have to continue taking this expensive pill to undo the damage.
Momin Ali passed away on February 15 this year at Rangpur Medical College Hospital, as his respiratory system collapsed. He was the coordinator of an unofficial Burimari-based group called the “Silicosis Patient Association”, which fought for the rights of the workers.
The workers have been seeking financial assistance for their treatment from the local administration, public representatives, and wealthy locals. But their pleas remain unheard.
Many have ended up foregoing treatment due to a lack of money; many others have died with no treatment.
“When I receive treatment, I feel a little better. Whenever I stop treatment, I fall sick. But I cannot afford all the medical expenses,” said Rashidul Karim, 45, a stone-crushing labourer of Ufarmara village suffering from silicosis.
“By selling off my only asset, one bigha arable land, I sought treatment at the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital in Dhaka, as well as hospitals in Rangpur and Lalmonirhat. There is nothing to sell anymore so I cannot afford the medical treatment,” he said.
“I have been suffering from this disease for the last five years. Four of my co-workers have gone,” he said. With no ability to work, he has to sit at home.
Shaheen Islam, a 42-year-old worker from Dangirpar village, said that he did not know about silicosis when he started work in the stone-crushing yards 14 years ago. Without any precautionary measures in place, all the workers were affected.
“I have been suffering from this disease for eight years. Some of my friends have died of it. My condition is not good either. I’m dying while trapped in my house,” he said.
“If I could get treatment, I would probably survive a few more days,” he added.
Stone-crushing labourers Rezaul Haque, 38, of Dolapara village; Rahimuddin, 46, of Natarbari village; Altaf Hossain, 48, of Islampur village; Noor Islam, 48, of Bamandal village; Afaz Uddin of Kamerhat village, and others have also given up due to their financial condition and lack of help.
“Many of us now work while covering our nose and mouth with clothes but most people still don’t know to do this,” said Nazrul Islam, a 42-year-old labourer in the Burimari land port area.
“We have no alternative work so we crush stones. I know how dangerous and incurable silicosis is, but there is no way out,” said another labourer, Safiar Rahman.
Dr Bipul Chandra Roy, a tuberculosis and chest disease specialist at RDRS Bangladesh in Lalmonirhat, said that he is providing treatment to many patients suffering from silicosis. While some receive regular treatment, most are irregular patients as they cannot afford the medicine.
Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner Md Abu Jafar told The Daily Star a team from the Ministry of Labour and Employment met with the labourers a month ago. The ministry is preparing to provide financial assistance, he said, but when the help will arrive is a question he does not have an answer to.
“I am contacting the ministry to speed up the steps. And if anyone with the disease appeals to me, I will help,” added the deputy commissioner.
Contacted, Patgram Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer (UHFPO) Dr Arup Paul said silicosis affected patients are more vulnerable to the coronavirus infection. They all must stay at home during the ongoing crisis period.
Health officials are collecting information of the silicosis affected people, he added.