Asbestos production increases despite WHO opposition

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos production increases despite WHO opposition, by T. Burki (The Lancet. Oncology, 2009).

The study

• Author: T. Burki
• Journal: The Lancet. Oncology
• Published: 2009;10(9):846
• Type of article: News
• Cited by: 12 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Summary of the article

This news special report examined why world asbestos production had not declined despite national bans and World Health Organization (WHO) opposition. It stated that more than 40 countries, including all European Union members, had banned chrysotile (white asbestos), the only form still mined. Even so, production had stabilised at roughly 2·2 million metric tonnes a year, about the 1960 level, driven largely by development projects in China and India. It cited estimates that about 125 million people worked in environments with asbestos exposure, that at least 90 000 people died each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma or asbestosis, and that WHO expected 5–10 million eventual deaths. The report focused on Canada. Canada produced 8% of the world's asbestos, exported virtually all of it, and opposed adding chrysotile to the Rotterdam Convention registry, which requires prior informed consent before export. It contrasted the government-funded Chrysotile Institute's claim that chrysotile could be used safely at exposures not exceeding one fibre/cm3 with WHO's position that all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic and that there is no evidence of a threshold. Critics, including Canadian MP and former asbestos miner Pat Martin and Kathleen Ruff, argued that safe use was not possible in developing countries. They cited unprotected handling in Pakistan and heavy exposure in India. The report noted that a bill to ban exports was under debate, while Canadian production rose in 2008.

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 item was a news report (a 'Special Report') in The Lancet Oncology, not a research study, and it presented no new data. It reported that more than 40 countries, including all European Union members, had banned white asbestos (chrysotile), the only form still being mined. Even so, world production had stabilised at roughly 2.2 million metric tonnes a year, about the 1960 level, largely because of development projects in China and India. The article stated that about 125 million people work where they are exposed to asbestos and that at least 90 000 die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma or asbestosis. It cited a WHO estimate that 5 to 10 million people will eventually die from asbestos-related illnesses. It described Canada, which produces 8% of the world's asbestos, as opposing the listing of chrysotile under the Rotterdam Convention. The government-funded Chrysotile Institute was quoted as claiming chrysotile can be used safely. Maria Neira of WHO was quoted as saying all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic. The article noted that Canadian chrysotile production rose in 2008.

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: News report (Special Report: International); not a research study
• Who was studied: No study population. The report discussed asbestos production and use worldwide, with a focus on Canada (Quebec mines) and on importing countries such as India.
• Exposure: White asbestos (chrysotile), mostly mixed with cement and used in building materials
• Main results:
  • More than 40 countries, including all EU members, have banned white asbestos (chrysotile).
  • World production has stabilised at roughly 2.2 million metric tonnes a year, around the 1960 level.
  • About 125 million people worldwide work in environments where they are exposed to asbestos.
  • WHO estimates that 5 to 10 million people will eventually die from asbestos-related illnesses.
  • Canada produces 8% of the world's asbestos, and chrysotile has not been added to the Rotterdam Convention registry.
  • WHO's Maria Neira was quoted as stating that all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic.
  • Canadian chrysotile production rose in 2008.
• The authors' conclusion: As a news report, the article states no research conclusion.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Chrysotile, Asbestos Exposure, Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma, Informed Consent, Chrysotile Institute, Carcinogenic.

Related studies

• The case for a global ban on asbestos — J. LaDou, B. Castleman, et al. (2010)
• Asbestos dispatches — L. Kazan-Allen (2004)
• Canadian asbestos: a global concern — L. Kazan-Allen (2004)
• Canada accused of hypocrisy over asbestos exports — T. Kirby (2010)
• Asbestos is still with us: repeat call for a universal ban — C. Ramazzini (2010)
• Production of reactive oxygen intermediates by human macrophages exposed to soot particles and asbestos fibers and increase in NF-kappa B p50/p105 mRNA — R. Oettinger, K. Drumm, et al. (1999)

Browse more research in The Lancet. Oncology, or return to medical research.