Although many countries ban or
restrict the use of asbestos, that ban is not universal. Some developing
countries continue to mine and use asbestos – considered a toxic mineral by
nearly all health officials – because it is relatively inexpensive compared to
other substitute products. Surprisingly, the United States has not completely
banned asbestos – only six asbestos products are banned while many other
asbestos-containing products continue to be used in the U.S. Keep reading to
learn more about other countries and how asbestos is regulated around the
globe.
Governments
of India and Vietnam, among others, maintain that because some types of
asbestos are less harmful than others, safe handling will prevent exposure.
That position opposes the view of the World Health Organization (WHO), which
argues that the best way to eliminate asbestos-related diseases is to stop
mining and using asbestos altogether.
WHO
officials estimate that 125 million people around the world are annually
exposed to asbestos in the workplace, and the International Labor Organization
says about 100,000 workers die each year from an asbestos-related disease.
In
2010, the American Public Health Association joined the call of at least three
major international health organizations in asking for a global ban on asbestos
use. The World Federation of Public Health Organizations, the International
Commission on Occupational Health, and the International Trade Union
Confederation earlier recommended such a ban.
According
to Jock McCulloch and Geoffrey Tweedale, authors of Defending the
Indefensible: The Global Asbestos Industry and its Fight for Survival,
“Asbestos is still mined and used in the developing world, where the problems
that were experienced in America and Europe in the 20th century are now being
duplicated in China, Russia, India and other countries in the Far East.”
Here
is a list of countries with well-documented histories of asbestos production
and use and what is being done to limit exposure.
Canada
Well
known for its cold weather and love of hockey, Canada has recently been
recognized as the country responsible for not adding asbestos to the
international hazardous list. Canada’s asbestos mining efforts started around
1850 when chrysotile asbestos deposits were discovered in Thetford. By 1876,
approximately 50 tons of asbestos were being mined in Quebec. By the 1950s, the
annual mining haul was more than 900,000 tons.
In
early 2011, the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Quebec, received scrutiny after the
Canadian government proposed a $58 million grant to reopen the mine. Because
private investors failed to raise $25 million by the July 1, 2011 deadline to
purchase to mine, the grant from the Quebec government has been delayed for an
unknown amount of time. This delay is intended to give investors more time to
raise funds.
As
recently as June 2011, Canada again decided not to support adding chrysotile
asbestos to the list of hazardous substances in the Rotterdam Convention, an
international treaty that promotes unity and responsibility about exporting and
importing hazardous chemicals and substances. Canada is the only G8 country
that has not voted to include asbestos in the treaty.
Despite
its hard-line position, Canada actually uses very little asbestos. It exports
96 percent of the mined mineral to Asian countries.
India
The
second-most populous country with more than 1.2 billion people, India’s
extensive use of asbestos will likely have a significant impact on the future
health of the country’s population. Experts predict a pattern similar to what
developed in the United States over the past 50 years: a dramatic rise in the
number of cases of asbestos-related diseases.
India
no longer mines asbestos, but it is the top importer of Canadian asbestos.
About 20 years ago, India handled 500,000 tons of asbestos cement roofing.
Today, that number is closer to four million tons.
India
in 2011 changed its long-held stance and voted to add asbestos to the hazardous
list at the 2011 Rotterdam Convention. The Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI)
is a group of scientists, doctor, public health researchers, trade unions,
activists and civil society groups that condemn the use of asbestos and push
for an immediate ban on asbestos. BANI has been successful in drawing attention
to the hazards and toxic effects of asbestos exposure.
United Kingdom
The
United Kingdom in 1931 introduced the Asbestos Industry Regulations. At the
time, the regulations determined only the “safe” level of exposure. In 1960,
the legal exposure limit was increased, placing workers at a higher risk of contracting
mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. By 1968, the standards for
exposure levels were lowered to reduce the risk of contracting disease.
England,
though, is paying for years of higher level exposure. In 2008, the last year
for which figures are available, 2,249 people in the UK died of mesothelioma.
The UK has prohibited the trade, application and supply of crocidolite and
amosite asbestos since the 1980s. Chrysotile asbestos was prohibited in 1999.
Australia
Australia
is another country with a sweeping history of asbestos use, although its
heavy-use years are long gone. Its peak year was 1975 when the country used
about 70,000 tons. But years of overuse impacted the long-term health of
Australian citizens: There were 551 deaths related to mesothelioma cancer
documented in 2007.
Perhaps
no place in the world can show the toxicity of asbestos better than the town of
Wittenoom in Western Australia. Mining began there in 1939, and eventually the
predominant asbestos was crocidolite, replacing the less-toxic chrysotile
asbestos. Multiple health reports indicate that exposure to crocidolite
asbestos leads to an increase in the development of asbestos-related diseases.
Because
of Wittenoom’s long history of mining and the exposures that occurred as a
result of that history, Western Australia has the highest rate of mesothelioma
and asbestos-related cancers in the world. The town was shut down in 1966
because of low profits and rising concerns for asbestos-related diseases.
Russia
Russia,
which is the largest country in the world in terms of land mass, also leads the
planet in asbestos production. In 2000, asbestos productions reached
approximately 700,000 tons, much more than Canada and China. By the year 2008,
mining produced more than one million tons of asbestos.
Russia’s
high production numbers stem from the city Asbest, located about 900 miles
northeast of Moscow. Once known as “the dying city” because of its high rates
of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, Asbest is home to a mine
that measures seven miles long, one-and-a-half-miles wide and more than 1,000
feet deep.
About
500,000 tons of asbestos is gathered from the mine each year.
Unlike
Canada, Russia has remained a large user of asbestos. It is the world’s
third-largest consumer, trailing only China and India. Russia has widely used
asbestos in roofing materials, automobile brakes and insulation. About 3,000
asbestos-containing products have been labeled as safe by the Chief Sanitary
Officer of Russia.
Annual
asbestos-related deaths were 10,400 in 2005. With little opposition towards the
use of asbestos, Russia will likely continue to use and export this toxic
substance.
South Africa
South
Africa began mining asbestos around 1883 after a crocidolite asbestos mine was
established in the Northern Cape region in Koegas. The country developed into a
major producer of crocidolite asbestos, supplying Australia and the United
Kingdom with the heat-resistant mineral for many years during the 20th century.
South
Africa’s mining of asbestos peaked in 1977 at 380,000 tons, making it the
third-largest supplier in the world. But within a decade, the Northern Cape mines
were closed because of the medical risks involved and a growing concern of
asbestos-related litigation.
Because
the health effects of asbestos exposure were largely hidden by the asbestos mining
industry, there was little public awareness of mesothelioma and other
asbestos-related diseases until the late 1970s. Following the lead of the
Northern Cape mines, several other asbestos mines in South Africa also closed,
and residents of Prieska formed Concerned People Against Asbestos (CPAA), which
focuses on improving access to compensation for citizens battling
asbestos-related diseases.
China
China
is one of the world’s largest producers of asbestos. The country mined more
than 450,000 tons in 2000, a total that placed it behind only Russia in
asbestos production. Since, Chinese production has fallen. Its mining total
fell to about 280,000 tons in 2008.
Unlike
Canada, Chinese manufacturers and builders consume large amounts of asbestos,
using it for roofing materials, walls, brake pads, gaskets and cloth. Jukka
Takala, director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, believes
the annual Chinese death toll from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related
diseases could reach as high as 15,000 by 2035.
At
the 2009 Asian Asbestos Conference, a ‘Hong Kong Declaration Towards a Complete
Ban on all forms of Asbestos’ and asbestos processing was recommended. The
declaration asked for asbestos use to be phased out and recognized the need of
assistance for those suffering from asbestos-related diseases.
Brazil
Brazil
is the world's third-largest producer of asbestos. It is also the third-largest
exporter, shipping primarily to Asia, Mexico and Colombia. Although exporting
asbestos brings in a significant amount of revenue for exporters, Brazil keeps
a large share of the mineral within its borders. The country used 94,000 tons
as recently as 2007, ranking it No. 5 among the world's asbestos consumers.
There
are 11 Brazilian companies that continue to mine asbestos and produce
asbestos-containing products. The production generates about $1.3 billion annually
for the country's economy. While these companies employ nearly 3,500 people,
the asbestos industry says mining the toxic substance creates about 200,000
jobs.
Estimates
predict the rate of mesothelioma and asbestos-related deaths will continue
rising in Brazil's future. Dr. Ubiratan de Paula Santos, a pulmonologist at the
University of São Paulo Medical School, treats about 20 mesothelioma cases a
year, and he says that number is slowly climbing. The majority of his patients
are current and former asbestos plant workers.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
is one of the world's largest producers of asbestos, mining 230,000 tons of it
in 2009. While Kazakhstan exports most of the mineral it mines, it does consume
some. Houses, apartment buildings, hospitals, school, commercial buildings,
brakes and other products are manufactured with asbestos products. Recent
developments, however, may turn this trend.
In
2009, 75 participants of a conference on the use of chrysotile asbestos and its
health effects recommended the Kazakh government support a national program to
eliminate asbestos-related diseases. Since the conference, the first of its
kind in Kazakhstan, other seminars on the side effects of asbestos have pushed
the notion that Kazakh citizens are ill-informed about asbestos-containing
materials. Those leading the seminars say there is now stronger public
participation in monitoring existing asbestos regulations. (asbestos.com)
