Global Asbestos Snapshot August 2025
International agencies tasked with protecting public and occupational health, organizations researching cancer and its effects on the human body, associations working to safeguard the environment, independent scientists and medical experts agree that exposure to all types of asbestos can cause multiple cancers as well as debilitating diseases.1
According to the latest available data, annual global asbestos consumption in 2024 (1.2 million tonnes [mt])2 is 37% less than it was in 2000 (1.9 mt)3 and about half of what it was in 1995 (2.39 mt).4 It’s clear, however, from the map below that heavy usage still continues in some parts of the world.
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For years, India, China, Russia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan have been amongst the world’s top users, so the results of a new analysis by Dr. Barry Castleman held more than a few surprises.5 His calculation of per capita national asbestos consumption (2023) revealed startling results as can be seen below.
| Country | Total Usage | Per Capita Consumption |
| (tonnes) | (kg/person) | |
| India | 482,000 | 0.3 |
| China | 284,000 | 0.2 |
| Indonesia | 94,400 | 0.32 |
| Russia | 109,000 | 0.76 |
| Uzbekistan | 125,000 | 3.4 |
| Vietnam | 33,200 | 0.32 |
| Thailand | 37,600 | 0.52 |
| Bangladesh | 42,600 | 0.24 |
| Tajikstan | 25,300 | 2.34 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 11,700 | 1.6 |
| Turkmenistan | 12,000 | 1.57 |
| Kazakhstan | 15,000 | 0.72 |
| Belarus | 8,000 | 0.89 |
While the world’s two biggest asbestos producers Russia and Kazakhstan consumed a mere 0.76 and 0.72 kilograms/kg per person that year, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan used a staggering 3.4 kg and 2.34 kg per capita and Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan 1.6 kg and 1.57 kg.
According to an article published on August 21, 2025, asbestos demand in Turkmenistan was being driven by government development initiatives; there was no mention in that article about protection for workers employed to “crush” raw asbestos and combine it with cement and water and no acknowledgement of the health hazards posed by these toxic exposures.6
This almost total lack of asbestos awareness substantiated conclusions drawn by scientists from the Kyrgyz Republic and Italy in a literature review undertaken last year (2024). They reported the existence of an information vacuum on the health impact of asbestos exposures on workers, local people, consumers and downstream users as well as an overwhelming lack of technical capacity on “exposure assessments, epidemiological data, and biochemical or clinical surveys” not only in Kyrgyzstan but also in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.7
Concluding their paper, the co-authors wrote:
“Overall, a shortage of analytical foundations results in a substantial scarcity of inquiries and sizeable gaps in the few existing investigations. To fill this gap, more studies must be conducted according to updated and validated methods to address the currently open issues, investigating the amount of asbestos exposure and the impact of asbestos mining and use on public health. For sure, the situation in CA [Central Asia] regarding asbestos represents a chance to conduct research, fill the existing knowledge gap, and improve the general knowledge regarding the toxicity of specific types of asbestos fibers.”
Seven months after the paper referenced in the paragraphs above was published, “Assessment of asbestos exposure in Kyrgyzstan through analysis of raw and processed materials, air samples and human lung tissue” appeared in the British peer-reviewed science journal Nature.8 Using state-of-the-art techniques, the researchers “found a remarkable amount of chrysotile (white asbestos)” both in the air and lungs of the population living in the study area. Amphibole asbestos fibers were also identified in samples of lung tissue even though no amphibole asbestos had been mined, imported or used in Kyrgyzstan. Whilst accepting the unpalatable political reality – “it is very difficult to think about a possible universal ban on asbestos mining and use in a short time” – the co-authors were adamant that strict regulation of asbestos use was “urgently needed in Central Asian countries.”
Judging by the per capita figures produced by Dr. Castleman in Table 1, I would heartily concur.
August 27, 2025
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1 IBAS. Asbestos Policies of Major International Agencies. Accessed August 25, 2025.
https://ibasecretariat.org/lka_asb_polic_maj_int_agencies.php
2 United States Geological Survey. Asbestos Statistics. 2024.
https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2025/mcs2025-asbestos.pdf
3 United States Geological Survey. Asbestos Statistics. 2001.
https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/mineral-pubs/asbestos/070301.pdf
4 United States Geological Survey. Asbestos Statistics. 1996.
https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/mineral-pubs/asbestos/asbesmcs96.pdf
5 Email from Barry Castleman. August 19, 2025.
6 Soltanov, A. Demand for products of individual enterprise “Päkize aý” a manufacturer of roofing materials is growing. August 21, 2025.
https://turkmenistan.gov.tm/en/post/97996/demand-products-individual-enterprise-pakize-ay-manufacturer-roofing-materials-growing
7 Kurzhunbaeva, Z. et al. Human Exposure to Asbestos in Central Asian Countries and Health Effects: A Narrative Review. December 19, 2024.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11734637/
8 Kurzhunbaeva, Z. et al. Assessment of asbestos exposure in Kyrgyzstan through analysis of raw and processed materials, air samples and human lung tissue. July 11, 2025.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-10736-1
