CSR Train Cars, Parts Shipped to Australia Tainted with Asbestos; Products produced by China’s biggest train maker found to contain carcinogenic material, and company working to keep news from spreading

January 12, 2014 Leave a comment

01.09.2014 19:54

CSR Train Cars, Parts Shipped to Australia Tainted with Asbestos

Products produced by China’s biggest train maker found to contain carcinogenic material, and company working to keep news from spreading

By Staff reporters Wu jing and Lu Bingyang

(Beijing) – Train cars and parts exported by CSR Corp. Ltd., China’s biggest train maker, to Australia have been found to contain hazardous materials, and CSR is working to make sure the news is contained.The exports were sent to Bradken Ltd., an Australian mining products group.

The Australian customs officials have isolated the cars and equipment containing asbestos, which can cause cancer and other diseases if exposure is prolonged. They are continuing to investigate.

It is unclear how many cars are involved.

The Economic and Commercial Section of China’s consulate in Melbourne announced a probe was underway on January 7. The website of China’s Ministry of Commerce posted the news a day later.

However, information regarding the episode has been removed from both websites. A source close to CSR said the company negotiated with relevant departments immediately after the incident to limit publicity.

CSR said the news release by the Ministry of Commerce was removed from the website because some aspects were not entirely accurate, but declined to say what exactly was inaccurate.

This is not the first time that a CSR export has been found to contain asbestos, the source at the company said.

Australia banned the use of asbestos in 2004 and importers are required to ensure and declare on import documents that their goods do not contain the material.

Sources in the railway industry say that Chinese manufacturers sometimes use banned materials to keep costs low and make their exports more competitive.

The report on the Ministry of Commerce website that was removed said that a spokesman at Bradken said this was the first time the company had imported CSR products.  He added that although an examination showed train cars contained white asbestos, employees faced no health hazards and the episode would not affect future cooperation with Chinese companies.

A spokesman for Australian customs said Bradken is likely to be fined AU$ 850,000 or up to three times the value of the locomotive.

A CSR spokesman said earlier that the subway cars it sells domestically are better quality than the ones its exports.

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