Asbestos is still with us: repeat call for a universal ban

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos is still with us: repeat call for a universal ban, by Collegium Ramazzini (International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2010).

The study

• Author: Collegium Ramazzini
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Published: 2010;16(3):351-5
• Cited by: 6 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

All forms of asbestos are proven human carcinogens, causing malignant mesothelioma and a host of other types of cancers. No exposure to asbestos is without risk; there is no safe threshold of exposure to asbestos. When evidence of the carcinogenicity of asbestos became incontrovertible, a worldwide ban was called for on asbestos use, mining, and manufacturing. Asbestos is now banned in 52 countries. Nonetheless, many countries still use, import, and export asbestos and asbestos-containing products; many countries that have banned other forms of asbestos still permit the use of chrysotile asbestos. This exemption has no basis in medical science, but reflects the political and economic influence of the asbestos industry. To protect the health of all people, the Collegium Ramazzini calls again on all countries of the world to join in the international endeavor to ban all forms of asbestos. An international ban on asbestos is urgently needed.

In plain English

This article is a commentary by the Collegium Ramazzini, an international academic society. It did not report new research. Instead, it drew on published reports and agency figures to call for a worldwide ban on asbestos. The authors stated that all forms of asbestos cause human cancer. They noted that chrysotile accounts for 95 percent of the asbestos ever used and is the only type still in commercial use. Citing other sources, they reported that asbestos was banned in 52 countries, fewer than a third of WHO member countries, while annual world production remained above two million tons, with Russia the leading producer. They cited a NIOSH estimate that working-lifetime exposure at the US OSHA permissible exposure limit would cause five lung cancer deaths and two asbestosis deaths in every 1000 workers. They also described failed efforts to list chrysotile under the Rotterdam Convention. The authors concluded that the "controlled use" of chrysotile is not an effective alternative to a ban, and they called on all countries to ban all forms of asbestos.

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: Commentary (position statement drawing on published sources; no original data)
• Who was studied: No study population. The article is a statement by the Collegium Ramazzini about asbestos exposure among workers and communities worldwide.
• Exposure: All forms of asbestos, with particular attention to chrysotile (white asbestos), described as 95 percent of all asbestos ever used and the only type in commercial use today
• Main results:
  • Citing the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, the commentary reported that asbestos was banned in 52 countries, including all EU member countries, which made up less than a third of WHO member countries
  • The commentary reported that annual world asbestos production remained above two million tons, with Russia the leading producer
  • The commentary cited a NIOSH estimate that current occupational exposure, even at the US OSHA permissible exposure limit, would cause five lung cancer deaths and two asbestosis deaths in every 1000 workers exposed for a working lifetime
  • The commentary stated an estimate of 100,000 to 140,000 asbestos-related cancer deaths in workers worldwide each year
  • The commentary reported that repeated efforts to include chrysotile under the Rotterdam Convention had failed, and that opposition at the 2008 conference of parties was led by Russia, India, and Kazakhstan
  • Citing other sources, the commentary stated that the asbestos cancer pandemic may take as many as 10 million lives before asbestos is banned worldwide, and that this may be an underestimate
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the risks of asbestos exposure cannot be controlled by technology or by regulating work practices, and that "controlled use" of chrysotile is not an effective alternative to a ban. They called on all countries to ban all forms of asbestos.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Malignant Mesothelioma, No Safe Level of Exposure, Chrysotile, Collegium Ramazzini.

Related studies

• Asbestos is still with us: repeat call — Collegium Ramazzini (2010)
• Asbestos is still with us: repeat call for a universal ban — C. Ramazzini (2010)
• Asbestos is still with us: repeat call for a universal ban — Collegium Ramazzini (2010)
• Asbestos is still with us: repeat call for a universal ban — C. Ramazzini (2010)
• Asbestos is still with us: repeat call for a universal ban — Collegium Ramazzini (2010)
• Asbestos is still with us: repeat call for a universal ban — Collegium Ramazzini (2010)

Browse more research in International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, or return to medical research.