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 (Occupational Medicine, 2010).

The study

• Author: Collegium Ramazzini
• Journal: Occupational Medicine
• Published: 2010;60(8):584-5
• Type of article: Editorial
• Cited by: 4 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Summary of the article

In this editorial, the Collegium Ramazzini, an international academic society in occupational and environmental health, repeated its call for a universal ban on all forms of asbestos. It stated that all forms of asbestos cause asbestosis, malignant mesothelioma, and lung and laryngeal cancers, and may cause other cancers. It also stated that there is no safe level of exposure. Citing published sources, it reported that about 125 million people worldwide are exposed to asbestos at work, that 5–7% of lung cancers are potentially attributable to occupational asbestos exposure, and that asbestos-related cancer deaths in workers are estimated at 100 000–140 000 a year. In the UK, at least 3500 people die from asbestos-related illnesses each year, and 1740 men and 316 women died of mesothelioma in 2006. All forms of asbestos were banned in 52 countries, fewer than a third of WHO member countries. Most of the world's people live in countries where asbestos use continues, mainly in Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa, with China the largest consumer. The editorial also described non-occupational exposure from asbestos in construction materials and cited an estimate that the pandemic may take as many as 10 million lives. It concluded that 'controlled use' of chrysotile is not an effective alternative, that safer substitutes are available, and that an international ban on asbestos mining and use is urgently needed.

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 was an editorial by the Collegium Ramazzini, an international academic society in occupational and environmental health. It did not report a new study; its figures came from cited sources. It stated that all forms of asbestos cause asbestosis, malignant mesothelioma, and lung and laryngeal cancers, and may cause ovarian, gastrointestinal and other cancers. It reported estimates that about 125 million people worldwide were exposed to asbestos at work and 100 000–140 000 workers died yearly of asbestos-related cancer. It cited 2006 British figures of 1740 mesothelioma deaths in men and 316 in women. All forms of asbestos were banned in 52 countries, fewer than a third of WHO member countries. It cited an estimate that the asbestos cancer pandemic may take as many as 10 million lives before asbestos is banned worldwide and all exposure is brought to an end. The authors called this conservative, because it assumed exposures would cease, and said continuing production meant it may be an underestimate. They stated that 'controlled use' of chrysotile asbestos is not an effective alternative to a ban and 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: Editorial (position statement of the Collegium Ramazzini); no original research. Figures are drawn from cited sources.
• Who was studied: No population was studied. The editorial discusses, from cited sources, workers and communities exposed to asbestos worldwide, with figures for Western Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and Great Britain.
• Exposure: All forms of asbestos, including chrysotile and its 'controlled use'. The editorial also discusses occupational exposure and non-occupational environmental exposure from asbestos in construction materials.
• Main results:
  • The editorial stated, citing a review, that all forms of asbestos cause malignant mesothelioma and lung and laryngeal cancers.
  • Cited estimate: the yearly number of asbestos-related cancer deaths in workers worldwide is 100 000–140 000.
  • Cited British figures for 2006: 1740 mesothelioma deaths in men (1 in 40 of all male cancer deaths below age 80) and 316 in women.
  • All forms of asbestos were banned in 52 countries, including all European Union member countries, per a cited list.
  • China was named as by far the largest consumer of asbestos.
  • Cited estimate: the asbestos cancer pandemic may take as many as 10 million lives before asbestos is banned worldwide and all exposure is brought to an end. The authors described it as a conservative estimate that assumes exposures will cease and the epidemic will run itself out. They said that because production continues, the figures may be underestimates.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors stated that the risks of asbestos exposure cannot be controlled by technology or by regulating work practices. The Collegium Ramazzini called on all countries to ban all forms of asbestos.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Asbestosis.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Collegium Ramazzini, Malignant Mesothelioma, Laryngeal Cancer, No Safe Level of Exposure, Lung Cancer, Asbestos Exposure, Mesothelioma, Non-Occupational Exposure.

Related studies

• Asbestos is still with us: Repeat call for a universal ban — C. Ramazzini (2011)
• 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 — 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)
• Asbestos is still with us: repeat call for a universal ban — Collegium Ramazzini (2010)

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