The Global Asbestos Epidemic
Speakers at The European Respiratory Society Symposium (September 22-26, 2001) confirmed the existence of a global epidemic of asbestos-related disease at a conference held in Berlin. Belgian researchers reported that a re-examination of 160 autopsies performed between 1998-2000 at Erasmus Hospital, Brussels found physical evidence of asbestos exposure in 13% of the corpses. Marc Letourneux, a French researcher, reported: "There will be a steady rise in the frequency of asbestos-related cancers until at least 2010 and 2020, almost twice the rate of 1996/7."
Professor Antti Tossavainen, from The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, calculated that there are now about 10,000 mesotheliomas and 20,000 asbestos-induced lung cancers occurring in the 800 million people living in Western Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. While most of the illness is linked to occupational exposure, "environmental exposure may occur in some geographical areas and near asbestos production plants." Interviews conducted in Finland revealed that "about 80% of mesothelioma patients have had some occupational exposure that exceeds or equals general environmental or domestic exposures."
Attempts have been made in the past to correlate mesothelioma mortality with per capita asbestos consumption. A 1998 paper concluded that: "Among the ten Western countries, a clear linear relationship was shown between the mesothelioma incidence/mortality rate and the preceding per capita asbestos consumption rate…" A table presented by Tossavainen: Mesothelioma incidence/mortality (population over 15 years of age) and past use of asbestos in some industrialized countries" in Berlin contained some interesting data: while the use of 552,000 tons in the U.S. produced 2,800 mesotheliomas (1 case per 200 tons), the use of 49,000 tons in the Netherlands produced 377 cases (1 case per 130 tons). The statistics for New Zealand are surprising: consumption of 12,500 tons produced 50 mesotheliomas (1 case per 250 tons).
Experts predicted that the incidence of disease in industrialised countries will be surpassed by that in developing nations where asbestos is still being used under extremely hazardous conditions.
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November 12, 2001
