The Risk of Asbestos Disease Marches On
Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that is naturally occurring. Asbestos can be broken down into two basic types: serpentine and amphibole. The type of asbestos that is derived from the serpentine type of asbestos is called “chrysotile.”
Over 90% of the asbestos used in the United States is chrysotile asbestos and it accounts for 95% of the asbestos ever used worldwide. Chrysotile asbestos was found in such products as joint compound materials, roofing materials, stucco products, floor tiles, ceiling tiles, flues, pipe, and brake and clutch linings.
The general consensus among the medical and scientific community internationally is that both basic types of asbestos–serpentine and amphiboles–cause all forms of asbestos-related disease including cancer and mesothelioma. The scientific community is also in strong agreement that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos.
Nonetheless, asbestos continues to be produced, sold and used. World production of asbestos exceeds 2 million tons annually. Asbestos-cement pipes, sheets and water storage tanks account for the vast majority of the asbestos being used in the world today.
Some of the leading producers of asbestos are Russia, China, and Canada. Some of the leading consumers of asbestos are China, India and Russia. The United States has not yet passed a total ban on asbestos.
Lobbying groups for the asbestos mining industry take the position that chrysotile asbestos can be handled safely. There are numerous epidemiologic and scientific studies that refute this self-serving position. These studies show that workers exposed to chrysotile asbestos have increased risks of developing mesothelioma and lung cancer.
Proponents of a universal ban on asbestos point to the fact that safer substitutes for asbestos exist and that elimination of the use of asbestos will prevent all illnesses and death related to asbestos. While 52 countries have banned asbestos, the tragedy is that the political will to ban it in many more countries, including the United States, does not exist.
Even if worldwide use of asbestos were to stop today, given the latency period for asbestos-related disease, a reduction in the incidence of disease would not become evident for a decade or more. For mesothelioma, it may take as long as 40 to 50 years. In the time it takes for asbestos to be banned worldwide, millions more lives are projected will be lost to asbestos-related cancer.
