Sacrificing Even More Lives for Asbestos Profits
If asbestos producers have their way, the global epidemic of asbestos-related deaths could well continue into the 25th century. Russia, Kazakhstan and China are putting in place strategies to grow markets for output from their chrysotile (white) asbestos mines; in 2023, they accounted for ~85% of worldwide asbestos production.1 In a July 8, 2024 Russian language article reveling in the industry’s history, the author pointed out that at the Bazhenov chrysotile (white) asbestos mine in the Ural Federal District of Russia: “the deposit reserves are colossal. Scientists and geologists have explored them in depth: the mineral lies at a depth of up to 700 meters, it can be mined well into the 23rd century.”2
And yet asbestos, in all its forms, is categorized as a Group 1 carcinogen (“carcinogenic to humans”) by the International Agency on Research for Cancer (IARC) 3; the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, other international agencies and regional bodies advise that the best way to prevent asbestos-related diseases is to stop toxic human exposures by ending all asbestos use. 4Despite this guidance, figures show that more than a million tonnes of asbestos are used every year. Most developed countries have asbestos bans – the latest being the US which on May 28, 2024 implemented a national asbestos phase-out.5 Many other nations have de facto bans, choosing not to import and/or use asbestos or products containing it.
Asbestos Truth and Consequences in Asia
Asbestos use remains legal in most Asian countries and regional markets are under constant bombardment by national as well as international lobbying groups such as the: Vietnam Roofing Association6, Chrysotile Information Centre Thailand, Fibre Cement Products Manufactures’ Association (India), International Chrysotile Association and International Alliance of Trade Union Organizations “Chrysotile.”7 As a result, some asbestos sectors are thriving; the consequences for workers and members of the public are predictable. An article uploaded to the website of The Lancet on July 22, 2024 stated:
“Lung cancer was the leading malignancy worldwide in terms of both incidence and mortality in 2022. Asia bears the highest disease burden of lung cancer, with 63.1% of newly diagnosed lung cancers and 62.9% of lung cancer deaths occurring in the region… Lung cancer in Asia is characterized by a high proportion occurring in non-smokers… It is generally believed that air pollution, primarily emanating from factories, power plants, and vehicles, is the major cause responsible for lung cancer in non-smokers. However, these factors are among the most difficult ones to manage, especially in developing countries.”8
It is no coincidence that the region with “the highest disease burden of lung cancer” is also the region with the highest consumption of asbestos.9
Spotlight on India
For nearly 25 years, India has enjoyed the dubious distinction of being the world’s largest asbestos-importing county. On July 4, 2024 a 25-minute documentary uploaded by Al Jazeera revealed the ongoing human misery caused by occupational and environmental asbestos exposures in both urban and rural areas. Footage shot of young men, with no masks or protective equipment, shoveling asbestos-containing mining debris into sacks for use on building sites was truly shocking. Although a major financial newspaper reported last month (June 2024) that in the long-term it’s likely that Indian producers of asbestos-containing building materials will transition to asbestos-free technology, countless deaths will occur before that comes to pass.10
Russian Diversification as Markets Shrink
In an interview published on July 12, 2024 by the Russian News Agency Tass, the head of Russia’s 2nd largest asbestos conglomerate: Uralasbest confirmed that the outlook for the asbestos industry was bleak:
“Over the past two decades, the situation on the chrysotile market has been getting worse every year. In different countries which consume our products, there is pressure at the government level: opponents of chrysotile are calling for a ban on asbestos.”11
For this reason, Yuri Kozlov said that Uralasbest had been working to expand its product range with the installation of new manufacturing processes at facilities in Belgorod, Bryansk, Krymsk and Sterlitamak. While this would seem on the surface to be good news, the devil – as always – is in the detail. The diversification program does not, unfortunately, presage the abandonment of asbestos.
 A sack of Uralasbest chrysotile asbestos produced at the world’s largest open-pit mine located in Asbest, Russia. |
To date, the 50+ grades of Uralasbest chrysotile asbestos have been used for the manufacture of 300+ products by various industries in Russia; research and development work is exploring additional applications.12 One such innovation involves using chrysotile fiber as a stabilizing additive for incorporation into crushed stone mastic asphalt concrete, now being utilized to increase the strength and life of Russian highways.
The use of asbestos in road surfaces did not turn out well in Quebec, Canada’s former asbestos heartland.13 Between 1988 and 2011, 1.34 million tonnes of asbestos asphalt were used on 600+ miles of Quebec’s roads. Because of the need for special equipment and protective measures, the cost for removing these toxic road surfaces in 2024 is about 15 times as much as that for non-asbestos asphalt.
China & Kazakhstan Expansion Plans
Other asbestos-producing nations are also exploiting novel stratagems for boosting asbestos sales. Earlier this month (July, 2024), the China News Service of Gansu – an inland province in Northwestern China – reported that the first-ever shipment of Gansu chrysotile asbestos fiber to Africa had been dispatched from Dunhuang City. The cargo consisted of 50 tonnes of asbestos which was destined for Nigeria via rail and sea links.14
 Officers from Lanzhou Customs inspecting the asbestos cargo shipment. |
In the past, China consumed almost all the asbestos produced at its chrysotile mines; with new transport hubs and logistical links, shipments are now being dispatched to customers in Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria.
Since the ports of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea and St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea were compromised as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine, Kazakh asbestos producers have been working feverishly to find new trade routes for exports.15 An agreement reached by Kazakhstan with Azerbaijan and Georgia, saw the opening of a route through the Georgian port of Poti. A new “rail–sea combined transport train” from Dunhuang, in western China, which began operations in spring 2022 provided direct connections to Vientiane, Laos and Bangkok, Thailand. At the end of August 2022, 41 containers of Kazakh chrysotile asbestos which had been delivered to Xi'an – a large city in Shaanxi Province in China’s northwest – via the China-Europe freight train service were transported by train to Hanoi, Vietnam; the new rail link reduced delivery times from 20 to 8 days.
 A sack of chrysotile asbestos produced by Kostanay Minerals, the only asbestos producer in Kazakhstan. |
The importance of the Xi’an connection was underscored by the opening in February 2024 of a new Kazakh–Chinese terminal and logistics center in Xi'an. Over the first five months of 2024, rail freight from Kazakhstan to China via this route increased from 1 million tonnes to 5.7 million tonnes; it is not known how much of that was asbestos cargo.16
Concluding Thoughts
When historians look back at the epidemic which killed millions of people around the world, they will cast blame on an industry which prioritized profits over human lives. This could only happen in a situation where those responsible for protecting human populations were asleep at the wheel. There have been many missed opportunities and wasted chances to end the slaughter. It may be that market forces will do the job that others chose not to do. Only time will tell.
July 18, 2024
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1 United States Geological Survey. Mineral Commodity Summaries. Asbestos. 2024.
https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2024/mcs2024-asbestos.pdf
National figures for asbestos production in 2023 were: Russia (630,000t), Kazakhstan (260,000t). China (200,000t). The rest of the asbestos produced came from a mine in Brazil, a country which banned the commercial exploitation of asbestos in 2017. On August 14, 2024, a ruling from the Brazilian Supreme Court is expected on shutting down mining operations pursuant to the national ban.
2 The mining and use of asbestos in the 23rd century and beyond, will result in occupational and environmental exposures for centuries to come until the deadly substance is removed from the built and natural environment.
Medvedeva, O. Метаморфозы горного льна [Metamorphoses of mountain flax]. July 8, 2024.
https://rg.ru/2024/07/08/reg-urfo/metamorfozy-gornogo-lna.html
According to the United States Geological Survey: “Reliable evaluations of global asbestos resources have not been published recently, and available information was insufficient to make accurate estimates for many countries. However, world resources are large and more than adequate to meet anticipated demand in the foreseeable future.”
https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2024/mcs2024-asbestos.pdf
3 IARC Monograph 100C. A Review of Human Carcinogens: Arsenic, Metals, Fibres, and Dusts. 2012.
https://publications.iarc.fr/Book-And-Report-Series/Iarc-Monographs-On-The-Identification-Of-Carcinogenic-Hazards-To-Humans/Arsenic-Metals-Fibres-And-Dusts-2012
4 IBAS. Asbestos Policies of Major International Agencies. August 20, 2022.
http://ibasecretariat.org/lka_asb_polic_maj_int_agencies.php
5 EPA. Asbestos Part 1; Chrysotile Asbestos; Regulation of Certain Conditions of Use Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). March 28, 2024.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-03-28/pdf/2024-05972.pdf
IBAS. Current Asbestos Bans. Accessed July 8, 2024.
http://ibasecretariat.org/alpha_ban_list.php
6 Hiệp hội Tấm lợp Việt Nam Website [Website of the Vietnam Roofing Association]. Accessed July 15, 2024.
http://www.tamlopvietnam.com.vn/
International Chrysotile Association. Accessed July 15, 2024.
https://chrysotileassociation.com/
7 Uralasbest Newsletter. В защиту хризотила Женевские встречи [In defense of chrysotile Geneva meetings.]. June 2024.
https://www.uralasbest.ru/assets/dok/gazeta/2024/06.pdf
8 Chiu, Chao-Hua, Yang, Pan-Chyr. Challenges of lung cancer control in Asia. July 8, 2024.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(24)00285-2/fulltext
9 According to IARC, exposures to asbestos can cause a variety of diseases including: asbestosis, mesothelioma, cancers of the lung, larynx, ovary, bladder, pharynx, stomach & colorectum.
http://ibasecretariat.org/lka_asb_polic_maj_int_agencies.php#a4
10 Asbestos-based roofing players’ PBIT margins likely at 8-9% in FY25 and FY26, margins to slide in FY22-24 on Russia-Ukraine conflict, supply chain disruptions. June 26, 2024.
https://www.financialexpress.com/business/industry-asbestos-based-roofing-players-pbit-margins-likely-at-8-9-in-fy25-and-fy26-margins-to-slide-in-fy22-24-on-russia-ukraine-conflict-supply-chain-disruptions-3535281/
Kazan-Allen, L. India Transitioning to Asbestos-Free Technology. July 5, 2024.
http://ibasecretariat.org/lka-blogzxa223.php
11 Глава "Ураласбеста": новые линии производства откроют в Белгороде, Брянске и Крымске [Head of Uralasbest: New production lines will open in Belgorod, Bryansk and Krymsk]. July 12, 2024.
https://tass.ru/interviews/21346595
12 Medvedeva, O. Метаморфозы горного льна [Metamorphoses of mountain flax]. July 7, 2024.
https://rg.ru/2024/07/08/reg-urfo/metamorfozy-gornogo-lna.html
13 Lalonde, M. Pandora’s box opens on Quebec's deadly asbestos legacy. February 15, 2020.
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/pandoras-box-opens-on-quebecs-deadly-asbestos-legacy#:~:text=Between%201988%20and%202011%2C%20a,Laurent%20and%20Chaudi%C3%A8re%2DAppalaches%20regions.
14 甘肃温石棉首次出口非洲 [Gansu chrysotile asbestos exported to Africa for the first time]. July 5, 2024.
https://www.gs.chinanews.com.cn/news/2024/07-05/372612.shtml
15 Kazan-Allen, L. Kazakh Producers Chasing Russian Asbestos Markets. September 6, 2022.
http://ibasecretariat.org/lka-kazakh-producers-chasing-russian-asbestos-markets.php
16 КТЖ: Казахстанский хаб в сердце КНР [KTZ: Kazakhstan's hub in the heart of China]. July 1, 2024
https://www.inform.kz/ru/ktzh-kazahstanskiy-hab-v-serdtse-knr-68b658
