Collegium Ramazzini statement on the Tokyo Declaration banning asbestos

Our plain-English summary of Collegium Ramazzini statement on the Tokyo Declaration banning asbestos, by P.J. Landrigan, M. Soffritti (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2005).

The study

• Authors: P.J. Landrigan, M. Soffritti
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 2005;48(2):89-90
• Type of article: Editorial
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This is a short editorial, not a research study. It was written by the President and Secretary General of the Collegium Ramazzini and published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. It reported that in November 2004, participants in the Global Asbestos Congress in Tokyo, who came from 40 countries and regions, issued a declaration calling on all countries to ban asbestos mining, use, trade and recycling. The journal reprinted the declaration in full. The authors noted that until very recently Japan had been one of the world's major users, importers and exporters of asbestos. Japan imported 79,463 tons of asbestos in 2001, banned asbestos use in 2004, and imported 8,140 tons that year. The declaration called all forms of asbestos a proven carcinogen. It also called for safe removal and disposal, protection of workers and the public, less harmful alternatives, information sharing, and a just transition for affected workers and communities. It further called for preventing transfer of asbestos to countries in industrial development, and for prompt treatment and equitable compensation for victims. The authors stated their support for Japan's ban and the declaration, and wrote that forces promoting asbestos use remain strong.

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 (statement by the Collegium Ramazzini) that reprints the Tokyo Declaration; not a research study
• Who was studied: No study population. The editorial concerns Japan and the declaration issued by participants of the Global Asbestos Congress 2004 in Tokyo (November 19 to 21, 2004), who came from 40 countries and regions
• Exposure: Asbestos in general; the declaration refers to all forms of asbestos as a proven carcinogen
• Main results:
  • The authors stated that until very recently Japan had been one of the major users, importers and exporters of asbestos in the world
  • Japan imported 79,463 tons of asbestos in 2001
  • Japan banned the use of asbestos in 2004, and 8,140 tons were imported in that year
  • The 2004 import figure for Japan was 8,140 tons
  • The declaration called for all countries to adopt a ban on asbestos mining, use, trade and recycling, and for safe removal and disposal according to established rules
  • The declaration called for protection of workers and the public who may be exposed to asbestos-containing products
  • The declaration called for alternatives to asbestos to be used with attention to their less harmful nature and feasibility
  • The declaration called for information materials to be developed and shared by international agencies, organizations and groups
  • The declaration called for a just transition and social protection for workers and communities affected by an asbestos ban
  • The declaration called for preventing the transfer of asbestos production, asbestos-containing products and wastes to countries in industrial development
  • The declaration called for prompt medical treatment and equitable compensation for asbestos victims and their families
• The authors' conclusion: The authors, for the journal and the Collegium Ramazzini, saluted the government of Japan and the Global Asbestos Congress 2004 for their stand against asbestos. They wrote that the forces promoting asbestos use remain strong.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Collegium Ramazzini.

Related studies

• Collegium Ramazzini call for an international ban on asbestos — P.J. Landrigan, M. Soffritti (2005)
• Statement of the Collegium Ramazzini — M. Soffritti, P.J. Landrigan (2004)
• Dr. T.K. Joshi and asbestos in India: a message from the Collegium Ramazzini — P. Landrigan (2004)
• Collegium Ramazzini: Comments on the 2014 Helsinki consensus report on asbestos — X. Baur, A.L. Frank, et al. (2016)
• Banning asbestos in Asia: campaigns and strategies by the Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational Accident Victims (ANROAV) — S. Pandita (2006)
• Canadian asbestos: a global concern — L. Kazan-Allen (2004)

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