A few facts on asbestos (sciencebase)

9 December 2010 published in science at 10: 00 pm by David Bradley - click to comment

Today, medical journal The Lancet publicly criticized the Canada Government for its attitude to the asbestos, saying that although the Canada won't step expose its own citizens to asbestos, it will continue to export the deadly substance [Canada accused of hypocrisy, Lancet] countries.

A few facts about asbestos

All forms of asbestos are recognized human carcinogensNo asbestos exposure is without riskAll asbestos cause debilitating lung disease asbestos asbestosisAll shapes can cause malignant mesotheliomaAll can lead to forms of asbestos lung cancerAll forms of asbestos can cause laryngeal cancerAll forms of asbestos can cause ovarian cancerAll forms of asbestos can cause gastrointestinal cancerAll forms of…you get the pictureAsbestos is still largely usedJust 52 countries have banned asbestos outright far

According to scientists at the Collegium Ramazzini in Modena (Italy), "a large number of countries still use, import and export of asbestos and products containing asbestos." More to the point, despite the above facts, many countries prohibits other forms of asbestos, still allows the so-called "controlled use" of asbestos chrysotile, which is exempted from the prohibition on political and economic reasons (lobby by asbestos mining and manufacturing industry, in other words). White ban asbestos exemption has no basis in medical science. The microscopic nature of asbestos fibres means that they can get deep into the lungs when breathed in where they remain difficulties triggering.

Thus, College and several other organizations [Environ Health Perspect. 2010, 118, 897-901] are pressing for a comprehensive and international ban with no exemption, "" to protect the health of all people worldwide - industrial workers of the construction workers, women and children, now and in future generations"." An outright ban on rigorously applied urgently.

Asbestos is not a single substance, but none of the six naturally fibrous minerals. These life forms of serpentine and amphibole minerals. Only snapping asbestos chrysotile, commonly known as white asbestos, which represents 95% of the asbestos is all used around the world, is the only still used form. Amphibole minerals: amosite (brown asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite, are no longer used. Asbestos has been praised once a surprising for the construction industry material because it can withstand fire, heat and acid, has high tensile strength and acts as an effective thermal insulation and its waterproofing material. Unfortunately, his amazing comes at a price for health.

Still today over 125 million people worldwide are exposed to asbestos through their work [Egilman et al. J Am Ind med. 2003, 44, 540-557] and several million more have been exposed to their professional lives, with about 20-40% of adult men reporting professions who may involve exposure to asbestos. In addition to mesothelioma, believed that 5 to 7% of all cancers of the lung due to occupational exposure to asbestos [Tossavainen, Int J Occup Environ health., 2004, 10, 22-25].

The College concludes that the risks
Associates
with the exhibition
AT
asbestos
cannot be
controlled by
technology or by regulation of practicesthe risks related to exposure to asbestos work cannot be controlled by technology or the regulation of working methods. Scientists and authorities in countries permitting the use of asbestos must be no illusion that controlled use of chrysotile asbestos is an effective alternative to a ban on use of asbestos. They emphasize that safer alternatives are now widely available and widely used in countries where a prohibition is applied, there is no excuse not step outright ban of asbestos.

Collegium Ramazzini (2010). Asbestos is still with us: repeat universal appeal prohibit International Journal of Environment and Health, 4 (4), 380-388