Bonded Asbestos No Longer Considered Safe, Say Experts

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The rise in the number of natural disaster means we cannot consider bonded asbestos as safe anymore, cancer experts in Perth said in the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia's Annual Scientific Meeting. The increase in the incidence of floods, earthquakes, cyclones and bushfires have put Australians at a significantly higher risk of asbestos-related diseases, according to submissions to the Asbestos Management Review

They are referring specifically to materials built from 1945 to 1980 which have been destroyed by natural disaster, releasing harmful fibers into the environment.

Review Chairman, Geoff Fary, explained that several of the submissions mention asbestos as still a serious threat to human health because of home renovations and natural disasters.

Mr Fary said:

"The Asbestos Management Review is an initiative by the Australian Government in response to calls for Australia to be asbestos-free by 2030. We have consulted and had input from more than 60 stakeholders representing employment, health and research organizations, federal, state and local government, unions and asbestos disease sufferers and support groups.

"There was widespread consensus on the need to improve removal facilities, creating a consistent approach to removal and increasing public awareness."

As the number and intensity of natural disasters are expected to rise, Fary said that many experts are concerned about human exposure to asbestos, which among other things, can raise the risk of developing lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Mr Fary said:

"Home renovations are another major issue. An option for the Review is to recommend anyone planning a renovation where asbestos is present to use a licensed asbestos remover."

Over 600 people in Australia die of mesothelioma annually, Prof. Bogda Koczwara, President of the Clnical Oncological Society of Australia, explained.

Koczwara said:

"This is a highly lethal cancer with very poor survival," Professor Koczwara said. "Yet many people don't realise they are exposing themselves to asbestos when they pull up their lino floors or recover relics from their flooded home.

We need to be doing more to raise awareness and to remove asbestos, especially from areas prone to natural disasters like flooding, earthquake and bushfire."

Written by Christian Norqvist
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Urgent ban on all asbestos needed, experts urge

ScienceDaily (Dec. 9, 2010) — Scientists at the Collegium Ramazzini in Modena, Italy have repeated calls for a total ban on all asbestos across the globe. Writing in the International Journal of Environment and Health, the Collegium points out that just 52 nations have banned asbestos but a large number still use, import and export asbestos and asbestos-containing products.
See Also:Health & MedicineMesotheliomaDiseases and ConditionsWorkplace HealthScience & SocietyPublic HealthWorld DevelopmentIndustrial RelationsReferenceAsbestosMesotheliomaIndoor air qualityCarcinogen
Asbestos can refer to any of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals, serpentine asbestos, also known as chrysotile or white asbestos accounts for 95% of all asbestos use. The amphibole minerals: amosite (brown asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), and tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite, are no longer used. Asbestos can withstand fire, heat and acid, is strong and insulates against heat and sound. But, it is a potent cancer-causing material account for 5-7% of lung cancers in men internationally and effecting the health of millions.
Despite the fact that there are now synthetic alternative that are much safer than asbestos, white asbestos is still mined and exported to the developing world, most notably by Canada, which has come under fire from the medical journal The Lancet for the alleged hypocrisy of having banned asbestos use in Canada but continuing to export the lethal material. The Collegium points out that exemption of white asbestos from any ban has no basis in medical science.
To protect the health of all people in the world -- industrial workers, construction workers, women and children, now and in future generations, a total ban, rigorously enforced, is urgently needed, the Collegium says.
At least 125 million people around the world are today exposed to asbestos through their work with about 20 to 40% of adult men reporting past occupations that may have exposed them to the risk of mesothelioma, asbestos, and lung cancer due to asbestos.
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Deaths and major morbidity from asbestos-related diseases in Asia likely to surge in next 20 years, experts warn

ScienceDaily (June 9, 2011) — An alarming new article in Respirology issues a serious warning of massive rises in deaths from asbestos-related lung diseases in Asia.

See Also:Health & MedicineMesotheliomaHealth PolicyEarth & ClimateGeographyEnvironmental PolicyScience & SocietyDisaster PlanPublic HealthReferenceAsbestosMesotheliomaHazardous wasteIndoor air quality

Dr Ken Takahashi, Acting Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Occupational Health, and his team put together important data on asbestos use in 47 Asian countries in this landmark article. Cyprus, Israel and Japan had the highest age-adjusted mortality rates in Asia. This study published in Respirology, a journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, will serve as an important reference document for health authorities in Asian-Pacific.

Asian countries accounted for 64% of the global consumption of asbestos in the period of 2001-2007, a striking increase from 14% between 1920 and 1970. This is a result of unregulated asbestos import and use in many Asian countries.

"Despite concerns of the global ARD epidemic and Asia's growing importance in the world, data on current asbestos use and asbestos related diseases in Asia remain limited," said Dr. Ken Takahashi. This article extracted data from the WHO Mortality Database and published literature and will inform public health planning and regional health policies in Asian countries.

The WHO identifies asbestos as one of the most dangerous occupational carcinogens, declaring the need to eliminate asbestos use and associated health damages. An estimated 107,000 people worldwide die from asbestos related diseases. Asbestos is a mineral fiber commonly used for insulation in constructions. It is relatively affordable and makes it attractive in developing countries.

Asbestos related lung diseases, particularly mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis (asbestos induced lung fibrosis), typically develop after decades of lag time from first exposure. Up to 2007, Asian patients accounted for 13% of the cumulative global mortality from asbestos-related pleura-pulmonary diseases. Dr. Takahashi is concerned that "the sharp increase in asbestos use in Asia will see a surge of mortality and morbidity from asbestos related diseases in this region in the decades ahead."

This article will serve as a stern warning for Asian governments who have yet to ban the use of asbestos. Healthcare providers in Asia must also begin to equip themselves the expertise and resources to manage this 'Asian asbestos tsunami.'

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