A call to action: epidemiologists assert themselves with scientific data

Our plain-English summary of A call to action: epidemiologists assert themselves with scientific data, by S.H. Weiss (International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2012).

The study

• Author: S.H. Weiss
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Published: 2012;18(3):167-70
• Type of article: Editorial
• Cited by: 5 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Summary of the article

This editorial described the Position Statement on Asbestos of the Joint Policy Committee of the Societies of Epidemiology (JPC-SE), released on July 24, 2012, and discussed the role of epidemiologists in policy. The Statement, endorsed by nine epidemiology societies, concluded that all forms of asbestos are harmful and causally related to disease and death, and called for all mining, trade and use of asbestos to cease. In preparing it, expert epidemiologists examined the data, relying heavily on the 2012 International Agency for Research on Cancer evaluation. They also examined asbestos industry claims questioning the link between disease and some forms of asbestos. The author used systems thinking and the economic concept of externalities to argue that regulation, monitoring and enforcement are needed when harms are delayed for decades, as with asbestos. He reported that 64% of asbestos sold in 2011 went to Asian countries, where there is virtually no collection of data on asbestos-related diseases. He also reported that China and India accounted for 46% of 2011 global consumption, and that global production remained at about 2 million metric tonnes per year, with China second behind Russia. He cited articles on asbestos in China in the same issue as supporting the Statement. The author concluded that there is no credible counterpoint on the harms of asbestos and that action should not await further data.

PubMed has no abstract for this study, and the article doesn't print one. We wrote this summary from the full article with the help of AI. It is not the authors' wording.

In plain English

This is an editorial, not a research study, and it presents no new data. The author is listed in its references as one of the authors of the statement it discusses. That is the Position Statement on Asbestos from the Joint Policy Committee of the Societies of Epidemiology (JPC-SE), released on July 24, 2012. According to the editorial, nine epidemiology societies endorsed the Statement. The Statement concluded that, for all forms of asbestos, credible study results consistently show risk for disease and premature death. It calls for a ban on the mining, trade, use and export of all forms of asbestos. The editorial said the Statement relied heavily on the 2012 International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluation. It cited figures that 64% of asbestos sold in 2011 went to Asian countries and that China and India represented 46% of 2011 global consumption. It also said global production was kept at approximately 2 million metric tonnes per year. The author wrote that there is no credible counterpoint and that it is unnecessary to wait for more data before acting.

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: editorial (opinion piece; no original data)
• Who was studied: No study population. The editorial discusses the JPC-SE Position Statement on Asbestos, released July 24, 2012.
• Exposure: All forms of asbestos, as addressed by the Position Statement
• Main results:
  • The editorial reported that nine societies endorsed the Position Statement after each reviewed it under its own internal procedures.
  • The editorial reported that the JPC-SE concluded that, for all forms of asbestos, credible study results consistently show risk for disease and premature death.
  • The editorial said the Statement's authors relied heavily on the 2012 IARC evaluation.
  • The editorial stated that 64% of asbestos sold in 2011 went to Asian countries.
  • The editorial stated that China and India together represented 46% of 2011 global asbestos consumption.
  • The editorial stated, citing the Statement, that global asbestos production remained at approximately 2 million metric tonnes per year, with China second behind Russia.
• The authors' conclusion: The author wrote that there is no credible counterpoint on the harms of asbestos. The Statement, as described, calls for a ban on the mining, trade, use and export of all forms of asbestos, and holds that it is unnecessary to wait for more data before acting.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Epidemiology.

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