Cases of international mesothelioma may shoot up to 10 million unless a worldwide ban is implemented, according to an international academic society monitoring occupational and environmental health concerns.
The society, Collegium Ramazzini, composed of researchers from the United States, Britain, Japan, Italy, Canada, South Africa, and India, says that asbestos diseases and deaths are totally preventable but it is a tragedy that cases of international mesothelioma have increased in recent years.
In an article published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the researchers say that the risk of exposure to asbestos cannot be mitigated by workplace practices or technology, and that the proper action is to implement a worldwide ban on asbestos mining and production.
According to the World Health Organization, around 125 million people are exposed to asbestos in their workplaces around the world.
A known human carcinogen, asbestos claimed 43,000 lives in 2000, and the researchers say that international mesothelioma cases may reach up to 10 million unless a ban is enforced.
All types of asbestos can cause asbestosis, lung cancer, cancer of the larynx, and mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the linings of the lung or abdomen caused by asbestos exposure. Symptoms will usually not be evident until after 30 years or longer from exposure at the workplace.
The European Union bans all kinds of asbestos products but the United States continue to import asbestos from Russia, China, Brazil, Canada, Zimbabwe, and Colombia.
The conditions in the workplace at these countries offer little to no protection for workers against asbestos exposure, and it is feared that the rise of international mesothelioma cases may be most evident in these countries in the future.
brought to you by http://seerpress.com
No comments:
Post a Comment