Status of the ban on asbestos use in Spain and Latin America

Our plain-English summary of Status of the ban on asbestos use in Spain and Latin America, by R.A. Accinelli Tanaka, L.M. López Oropeza (Archivos de Bronconeumología, 2015).

The study

• Authors: R.A. Accinelli Tanaka, L.M. López Oropeza
• Journal: Archivos de Bronconeumología
• Published: 2015;51(3):152
• Type of article: Letter
• Language: Spanish
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This is a letter to the editor, not a research study. The authors described asbestos laws in Spain and Latin America. They reported that 54 countries, mostly European and including Spain, had banned asbestos use or restricted its production and export; only four were in Latin America: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Honduras. Spain listed asbestos as toxic or hazardous in a 1986 law and later banned its use, except in demolition and chlor-alkali manufacturing. Argentina banned amphiboles in 2000 and in 2001 adopted a chrysotile ban that took effect on 1 January 2003. Chile banned all types of asbestos in 2001. Uruguay banned manufacture and import in 2002. Honduras followed two years later, banning products containing chrysotile, anthophyllite, actinolite, amosite and crocidolite, with exclusions. The authors reported that 37 of 47 countries (79%) with a very high Human Development Index had anti-asbestos laws, versus 1 of 46 (2%) with a low index. In their view, long latency, difficulty showing the laws' benefit and industry lobbying held bans back. They concluded that lung specialists should push for such laws.

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: letter to the editor describing national asbestos legislation (not a research study)
• Who was studied: countries with asbestos bans or restrictions, mainly Spain and the Latin American countries Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Honduras; also countries grouped by Human Development Index level
• Exposure: laws banning or restricting asbestos (amphiboles, chrysotile, anthophyllite, actinolite, amosite, crocidolite, and asbestos-containing materials)
• Main results:
  • 54 countries, mostly European and including Spain, had either banned asbestos use in all forms or restricted its production and export. Only 4 of these were in Latin America: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Honduras.
  • Spain's 1986 Law 20 listed asbestos (dust and fibers) among toxic or hazardous substances
  • Spain later limited the sale of asbestos and banned its use, except in demolition and chlor-alkali manufacturing
  • Argentina was the first Latin American state to act: it banned use of amphiboles in 2000, and in 2001 it banned the use and import of chrysotile
  • Argentina's 2001 chrysotile resolution (Resolution 823/2001) applied from 1 January 2003
  • Chile in 2001, by Ministry of Health Decree 656, banned the production, import, distribution, sale and use of all types of asbestos
  • Uruguay adopted a ban in 2002, prohibiting manufacture and import
  • Honduras's ban excluded thermal or electrical insulation in household appliances, electronic equipment and personal fire protection equipment
  • Of 47 countries with a very high Human Development Index, 37 (79%) had anti-asbestos laws
  • Countries with anti-asbestos laws: 9 of 47 (19%) with high HDI, 5 of 47 (11%) with medium HDI, and 1 of 46 (2%) with low HDI
  • In the authors' view, long latency, difficulty demonstrating the benefit of anti-asbestos laws, and industry lobbying have prevented bans from spreading worldwide
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that pulmonologists should promote anti-asbestos legislation so that, regardless of a country's level of development, laws protect the population

Topics

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

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