South Africa's export trade in asbestos: demise of an industry

Our plain-English summary of South Africa's export trade in asbestos: demise of an industry, by J.S. Harington, N.D. McGlashan, E.Z. Chelkowska (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2010).

The study

• Authors: J.S. Harington, N.D. McGlashan, E.Z. Chelkowska
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 2010;53(5):524-34
• Cited by: 5 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Background: South Africa's export of each of its three types of asbestos, crocidolite, amosite, and chrysotile, and the total amounts to 84 countries in metric tonnes is examined over a 24-year period, 1980-2003.

Methods: For convenience, the countries are divided into nine world regional groups, Europe, Eastern Europe, North America with the Caribbean, South America, Africa, Middle East, Far East, South Asia, and Oceania.

Results: The three greatest importing countries of total asbestos in metric tonnes were all in the Far East region, ranging from Japan, South Korea to Thailand, and followed by USA and Italy. All exports to all countries diminished steadily as the South African trade came virtually to an end by 2003, due to ever increasing international pressure.

Conclusion: The export trade has changed significantly since 1960 from being dominantly to European countries to being directed in recent years to the Far East, with serious implications for asbestos-related ill-health in those countries.

2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

In plain English

This article was a descriptive analysis of trade figures, not a study of disease in people. Using data supplied by the South African Department of Mining, the authors tabulated South Africa's exports of crocidolite, amosite and chrysotile, in metric tonnes, to 84 countries from 1980 to 2003, grouped into nine world regions. Over the period, chrysotile made up 54% of exports, crocidolite 31% and amosite 15%. Japan received the most (1,102,399 tonnes, mostly chrysotile), followed by South Korea, Thailand, the USA and Italy. The USA imported almost entirely crocidolite. Exports fell steadily. In 2003 only four countries received South African asbestos, all chrysotile: Thailand 2,480 tonnes, Taiwan 980, Indonesia 834 and South Korea 175, a total of 4,469 tonnes. The authors attributed the end of the trade to pressure from the World Health Organization, some countries and activists. They concluded that since 1960 the trade had shifted from mainly European destinations to the Far East, with serious implications for asbestos-related ill-health there. No disease rates were measured.

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: Descriptive analysis of national export trade data (no health outcomes measured)
• Who was studied: 84 countries that imported asbestos from South Africa, 1980 to 2003, grouped into nine world regions; data from the South African Department of Mining
• Exposure: South African exports, in metric tonnes, of crocidolite, amosite and chrysotile, and total asbestos
• Main results:
  • Across all exports from 1980 to 2003, chrysotile made up 54%, crocidolite 31% and amosite 15%
  • Japan was the largest importer, with 1,102,399 metric tonnes in total, more than twice the amount received by South Korea, the second-ranked importer
  • The three largest importers were in the Far East (Japan, South Korea, Thailand), followed by the USA and Italy
  • The USA imported almost entirely crocidolite and continued to do so into the 1990s
  • About 74% of Italy's imports were crocidolite, and Italy's imports effectively ended in 1992. About 95% of Iran's imports were crocidolite.
  • In 2003 only four countries still imported, all of it chrysotile: Thailand 2,480 tonnes, Taiwan 980, Indonesia 834 and South Korea 175, a total of 4,469 tonnes
  • Comparing 1960 with 1980 to 2003, Europe as the main importing region had been replaced by the Far East
  • The authors attributed the end of the trade by 2003 to pressure from the World Health Organization, some countries, and other bodies and activists
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that since 1960 the trade had shifted from mainly European destinations to the Far East, with serious implications for asbestos-related ill-health in those countries. They wrote that many receiving countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Far East would be less able to cope medically with asbestos-related diseases.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The Department of Mining recorded sales to foreign clients or their local agents but did not always learn of later changes in the final destination of the asbestos

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Crocidolite, Amosite, Chrysotile.

Related studies

• South African asbestos: production, exports, and destinations, 1959-1993 — J.S. Harington, N.D. McGlashan (1998)
• The South African asbestos trade, 1994-1999 — J.S. Harington, N.D. McGlashan (2000)
• Ban all production and export of chrysotile asbestos — G. Paradis (2010)
• Double standards: the multinational asbestos industry and asbestos-related disease in South Africa — J. McCulloch, G. Tweedale (2004)
• Trades of dangers: a study of asbestos industry transfer cases in Asia — Y. Choi, S. Lim, et al. (2013)
• Quebec stands firm on asbestos exports despite growing controversy — L. Eggertson (2010)

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