Ban asbestos phenomenon: the winds of change

Our plain-English summary of Ban asbestos phenomenon: the winds of change, by L. Kazan-Allen (New Solutions, 2011).

The study

• Author: L. Kazan-Allen
• Journal: New Solutions
• Published: 2011;21(4):629-36
• Cited by: 4 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

The shift in the public perception of asbestos from "magic mineral" to "deadly dust" owes much to the mobilization by asbestos victims, ban-asbestos activists, health and safety campaigners, and individuals concerned about the global asbestos death toll. Cognizant of the proven links between asbestos and disease, governments of industrialized countries banned further use, as a result of which consumption shifted to developing countries; between 2000 and 2010, asbestos use in Asia grew dramatically. In the face of a powerful industry lobby, members of the ban-asbestos network have lobbied national governments to outlaw asbestos use, challenged industry propaganda, and cooperated with social partners on coordinated multinational initiatives. Major developments in the campaign to end the mining, sale, and use of asbestos which have taken place over the last 50 years are delineated in this paper.

In plain English

This article is a commentary, not a research study. The author recounted the campaign to ban asbestos over roughly 50 years, using figures on production, consumption and national bans. The author reported that world asbestos production peaked in 1977 at 4,793,451 tonnes. Since 1995, output had stayed at about 2 million tonnes a year, with rises in Russia and Kazakhstan, Brazil and China. Between 2000 and 2010, countries with national bans rose from 18 to 55. Asbestos-consuming countries fell from 66 to 39, a 41 percent decrease. Asia's share of global use rose from 47% to 64%. These shares counted only countries using more than 500 tonnes a year, and the 2010 figures were based on 2009 data. New bans were adopted at 0.80 per year in 1982-1991, 1.50 per year in 1992-2001 and 3.55 per year in 2002-2010. The author described ten events in the campaign, including Denmark's first restriction in 1972 and a 2001 World Trade Organization ruling upholding France's ban. The author concluded that asbestos is being consigned to the dustbin of discredited technologies.

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 / narrative policy history of the ban-asbestos movement (not an original research study)
• Who was studied: No study population; the article surveys national asbestos production, consumption and bans worldwide and events in the ban-asbestos campaign over about 50 years
• Exposure: Asbestos in general; the article notes most countries first banned crocidolite and amosite (amphibole fibers) and later chrysotile
• Main results:
  • Global asbestos production peaked in 1977 at 4,793,451 tonnes, 80 percent of it from Kazakhstan and Russia (40%), Canada (32%) and South Africa (8%)
  • In 1977, production in Kazakhstan and Russia (1,896,018 t) surpassed Canadian output (1,055,668 t) for the first time
  • Since 1995 global output hovered at about 2 million tonnes. Russia and Kazakhstan rose from 808,400 t (1995) to 1,230,000 t (2009), +52%. Brazil rose from 170,000 t to 288,000 t, +69%. China rose from 263,000 t to 380,000 t, +44%
  • From 2000 to 2010, national bans rose from 18 to 55, and asbestos-consuming nations fell from 66 to 39, a 41 percent decrease
  • Asia's share of global asbestos consumption rose from 47% in 2000 to 64% in 2010 (Table 1). The shares counted only countries using more than 500 tonnes a year
  • National bans adopted: 8 in 1982-1991 (0.80 per year), 15 in 1992-2001 (1.50 per year), 32 in 2002-2010 (3.55 per year)
  • The WTO Appellate Body in 2001 upheld a 2000 decision validating member states' right to prohibit import and use of goods containing carcinogens such as chrysotile asbestos, in the case over France's ban
  • About 100 asbestos victims' support groups exist in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Oceania
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that public mobilization, expanding asbestos litigation, judicial action against company executives and market forces are consigning asbestos to the dustbin of discredited technologies
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The 2010 consumption figures came from the United States Geological Survey and refer to 2009 use as an indication of likely 2010 use
  • Consumption distribution included only countries using more than 500 tonnes of asbestos a year

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