Commentary on Notification and Recordkeeping of Occupational Mesothelioma in India

Our plain-English summary of Commentary on Notification and Recordkeeping of Occupational Mesothelioma in India, by R. Singh, A.L. Frank (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2026).

The study

• Authors: R. Singh, A.L. Frank
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 2026;69(4):219-225
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

In India, some occupational diseases are notifiable under the Mines Act, 1952, and the Factories Act, 1948. Mesothelioma, primarily attributable to asbestos exposure, has been listed specifically as one of the notifiable diseases under the Mines Act, 1952, and is notifiable under the category of occupational cancer in the Factories Act, 1948. The total number of cases of mesothelioma notified to the Directorate General of Mines Safety under the mining safety law was zero from 2004 to 2024. Similarly, under the factory safety law, only one case of occupational cancer was notified in one state, in a country of 28 states and 8 union territories (mesothelioma being listed under occupational cancer and not a separate entry under the factories law). This is in sharp contrast to the medical literature, where a large number of cases have been published by researchers and doctors from Indian hospitals. The absence of notified disease may not automatically mean the absence of disease. Further, a parallel National Cancer Registry Program, which is not only for occupational cancers, but which may overlap with occupational cases, covers only 16% of the country's population. With clear lack of notification of cases and underreporting of occupational mesothelioma, and cancer not being declared as universally notifiable at the national level, disease surveillance in India may need to be invigorated so that easily preventable disease is reduced, load on the already strained healthcare infrastructure is decreased, and overall national medical costs are reduced in the future.

© 2026 The Author(s). American Journal of Industrial Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

In plain English

This commentary examined whether cases of occupational mesothelioma had been officially notified in India. There, mesothelioma is notifiable under the Mines Act, 1952, and, as an occupational cancer, under the Factories Act, 1948. Under the Right to Information Act, 2005, the authors requested records for 2004 to 2024 from three sources: the national mines regulator (DGMS), state factory inspectors, and the central factory advisory body (DGFASLI). The DGMS stated that no case of mesothelioma was reported to it in that period. DGFASLI data, available only for 2015 to 2022, contained no occupational cancer cases. Of 27 states and union territories, three denied the information. Haryana reported one occupational cancer case. Maharashtra reported five asbestosis cases and a single bladder cancer case, but no mesothelioma. Mesothelioma was no longer listed separately as notifiable under the 2020 labor code. The authors said the lack of reports could mean the mesothelioma cases in Indian medical literature were all nonoccupational, or that recordkeeping was absent and the two laws were being violated. They concluded that India must focus on proper reporting of occupational mesothelioma and that cancer should be made universally notifiable.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Commentary presenting records obtained through information requests under India's Right to Information Act, 2005
• Who was studied: Official notifications for 2004 to 2024 held by the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), the Chief Inspectors of Factories of 27 Indian states and union territories, and the DGFASLI (whose compiled data covered 2015 to 2022)
• Exposure: Notification of mesothelioma (listed under the Mines Act as cancer of the pleura and peritoneum) and of occupational cancer under the Factories Act; the authors described mesothelioma as primarily attributable to asbestos exposure
• Main results:
  • Mines regulator: the DGMS stated that no mesothelioma case was reported to the Chief Inspector of Mines anywhere in India between 2004 and 2024
  • DGFASLI data for 2015 to 2022 contained no cases of occupational cancer shared by the Chief Inspectors of Factories
  • Of the 27 states and union territories, three denied the information, one (Sikkim) was not eligible because the Factories Act is not enforced there, and three reported zero factories
  • Haryana reported one case of occupational cancer (from Faridabad); Maharashtra reported a single case of bladder cancer without classifying it as occupational cancer
  • Maharashtra reported 5 cases of asbestosis (2 in 2012, 1 in 2014, 1 in 2015, 1 in 2023) plus bladder cancer, but no mesothelioma
  • Under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, mesothelioma was not kept as a separate entry in the list of notifiable diseases
• The authors' conclusion: The authors said the absence of reports could mean either that the mesothelioma cases in Indian research came entirely from nonoccupational exposure, or that recordkeeping was absent and the two laws were being violated. They concluded that India must focus on notification and proper reporting of occupational mesothelioma and that cancer should be declared universally notifiable.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The DGFASLI compilations of occupational diseases covered only 2015 to 2022, not the full 2004 to 2024 period
  • Replies stating 'nil' were recorded as zero cases

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer, Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Occupational Disease, Asbestos Exposure, Cancer Registry.

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