Asbestos Still Used in Developing Countries
A recently published report from Taiwan points out that the burden of mesothelioma is still high and possibly growing in developing countries where the importation and use of asbestos continues.
Although many health and medical organizations have and continue to call for the total ban on the mining and use of all forms of asbestos, the practice continues in many developing countries. More than half of all asbestos consumed is used in Asian countries, especially chrysotile asbestos. Exposure to asbestos, whether occupational, paraoccupational, or environmental, is the main cause of mesothelioma. Avoidance of all exposure is the only way to prevent mesothelioma.
Despite decades of clear scientific research that shows exposure to asbestos leads to mesothelioma, a painful and incurable form of cancer, the importation and use of asbestos continues in the developing world.
What will it take to get a total global ban on asbestos? How come if the use is to continue, more campaigns to increase safety awareness do not happen simultaneously? How many more lives will be lost due to unnecessary exposure? When will the value of life be more than quick and easy profit, and sufficient enough to stop industrial practices that kill?
The International Commission on Occupational Health, the International Labor Organization, and the World Health Organization, as well as many other anti-asbestos groups, are calling for a total ban worldwide. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, get involved and let your voice be heard among the others that the use of this deadly substance must be stopped.
