Mesothelioma & Asbestos Worldwide

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, doctors, 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

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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, schools, 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.

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