Awareness of Asbestos and Action Plans for Its Exposure can Help Lives Exposed to Asbestos

Our plain-English summary of Awareness of Asbestos and Action Plans for Its Exposure can Help Lives Exposed to Asbestos, by H.J. Lee, E.K. Park, D. Wilson, et al (Safety and Health at Work, 2013).

The study

• Authors: H.J. Lee, E.K. Park, D. Wilson, E. Tutkun, C. Oak
• Journal: Safety and Health at Work
• Published: 2013;4(2):84-6
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Despite the fact that asbestos is a known carcinogen to humans, it is still used in industrialized countries, especially Asian countries. The global incidence of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) due to the past use of asbestos, continues to increase, although many countries have adopted a total ban on asbestos use. The implementation of effective strategies to eliminate ARDs is therefore an important challenge in Asia, where asbestos is still mined and consumed. Collaborative efforts and strategies at the local and international levels are vital, in the pursuit toward the elimination of ARDs in this region.

In plain English

This was a short review article. It drew on published reports to describe asbestos use and asbestos-related diseases around the world, with a focus on Asia, and looked at Australia as an example. It presented no new data of its own. Citing other sources, the review noted that Australia banned amosite and crocidolite in the early 1980s and chrysotile in 2003, yet asbestos-related diseases kept rising. It reported 5,176 mesothelioma cases in Australia between 1986 and 2000. It also cited New South Wales compensation board reports of 4,413 new cases of pleural plaques deemed noncompensable between 2001 and 2007. A New South Wales voluntary reporting scheme listed pleural plaques (1,218 cases) as the most frequent condition, followed by mesothelioma (919 cases). The authors wrote that the continued rise in pleural plaques after the amphibole ban raised suspicion that chrysotile contributed. They noted that asbestos use had increased in Asian countries. The authors concluded that the best option is to phase asbestos out of the market with substitutes, through international and local collaboration.

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: Review article (narrative overview of published reports; no new data collected)
• Who was studied: No study population. The review covered global and Asian asbestos use and asbestos-related diseases, and examined Australia, especially New South Wales, as an example
• Exposure: Asbestos in general, including amosite, crocidolite and chrysotile, with reference to bans on these fiber types in Australia
• Main results:
  • Citing an earlier study, the review reported 5,176 mesothelioma cases in Australia between 1986 and 2000, an incidence of 40 cases per 1 million inhabitants
  • Citing annual reports of the Workers' Compensation Dust Diseases Board of New South Wales, the review reported 4,413 new cases of pleural plaques deemed noncompensable between 2001 and 2007
  • Citing a voluntary notification scheme in New South Wales (June 2001 to December 2008), the review reported that pleural plaques were the most frequently reported condition (1,218 cases), followed by mesothelioma (919 cases)
  • Citing a projection study, the review reported an estimated 6,779 mesothelioma cases in New South Wales over 2004 to 2060, with a peak of 196 cases in 2014
  • The authors wrote that the sustained rise in pleural plaques after amphiboles were phased out in the 1980s raises suspicion that chrysotile contributed
  • The authors stated that asbestos use had increased in many developing countries, especially Asian countries
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the best option to eliminate asbestos-related diseases is to phase asbestos out of the market and provide substitutes, which would require collaboration at international and local levels

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