Public health experts warn of a sharp increase in deaths during the next two decades due to the use of asbestos or asbestos in the construction industry, particularly in developing countries like India, China, Brazil and Mexico.
A joint investigation by the BBC and the Consortium of Investigative Journalists revealed that more than one million people could die by 2030 due to diseases related to the substance.
The asbestos industry is worth billions of dollars, mostly for export to developing countries, where laws governing the protection are more permissive.
This substance, whose use is prohibited or restricted in 52 countries, loose microscopic debris in the air that can cause various lung diseases by inhalation, including some cancers.
The Brazilian case
However, joint research Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the BBC revealed that the production of white asbestos is in the order of two million tonnes.
Especially in countries like China, India, Brazil and Mexico, where the substance is still used.
Brazil is the third largest producer and exporter of asbestos, which sells to countries like Colombia and Mexico. The country also is the fifth largest consumer of the product.
The 11 companies who work with asbestos in Brazil employ over 3,500 people directly and generate U.S. $ 1,400 million per year.
Fernanda Giannasi, an inspector of the Ministry of Labour of Brazil 25 years ago fighting to ban the material in the country, says that white asbestos has killed hundreds of people and cause more deaths if not prohibited.
activist 52 years gained an international reputation for his work against the asbestos industry and was even called the "Erin Brockovich of Brazil", in reference to the American who fought the polluting industries water in California and became a character in a movie. Giannasi
rejects the idea that the product can be used safely, as some manufacturers. "This is a fiction," he says.
Mexico and the laws in Mexico, more than 2,000 companies use asbestos in various products such as brakes, heaters, ceilings, pipes and cables. More than 8,000 workers have direct contact with the substance.
The country increased imports of asbestos in the 1970s, much of Canada. Today their manufacturers buy most of their supplies from Canada and Brazil.
According to the Secretariat Economy of the country, 1,881 companies use raw asbestos. These companies employ 8,000 people, according to the National Confederation of Workers.
Some employers promote "controlled use" of asbestos in Mexico.
But Dr. Guadalupe Aguilar Madrid, a physician and researcher at the Social Security Institute of Mexico, said that weak laws protecting workers were allowed to proliferate dangerous conditions and warns that deaths will increase considerably.
The doctor predicts that the number of deaths from mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer related to asbestos could be between 3,000 and 5,000 compared to current 1,500, and stresses that the epidemic will not stop until the country banned asbestos. Cancer and lobby
Several scientists fear that the use of white asbestos spread an epidemic of diseases related to the substance. For the World Health Organization (WHO), the white asbestos can also cause cancer.
"My opinion is that the risks are very high, as high as any other human carcinogen that has been seen, except perhaps the smoking," said Vincent Cogliano, a scientist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer WHO. Precisely
also compared to the asbestos industry with regard to tobacco lobbyists who work to give good image.
The asbestos lobby's influence reaches around the world. Groups advocating for its use have spent nearly $ 100 million since mid 1980 to promote sales in just three countries: India, Canada and Brazil.
Critics say that these groups mimic the strategy of the snuff industry, raise doubts, avoid litigation and delay the implementation of regulations.
But most of the scientists consulted in the investigation told the BBC that white asbestos, which accounts for 90% of total production in the world itself is dangerous.
In the U.S., the construction industry no longer uses any form of asbestos. However, the number of deaths due to substance are reaching their peak because of the long period in which the disease can still manifest.
Canada is one of the largest producers of white asbestos and exports the product, but prohibits their use in the country.
http://www.diariosalud.net/content/view/20255/36/
A joint investigation by the BBC and the Consortium of Investigative Journalists revealed that more than one million people could die by 2030 due to diseases related to the substance.
The asbestos industry is worth billions of dollars, mostly for export to developing countries, where laws governing the protection are more permissive.
This substance, whose use is prohibited or restricted in 52 countries, loose microscopic debris in the air that can cause various lung diseases by inhalation, including some cancers.
The Brazilian case
However, joint research Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the BBC revealed that the production of white asbestos is in the order of two million tonnes.
Especially in countries like China, India, Brazil and Mexico, where the substance is still used.
Brazil is the third largest producer and exporter of asbestos, which sells to countries like Colombia and Mexico. The country also is the fifth largest consumer of the product.
The 11 companies who work with asbestos in Brazil employ over 3,500 people directly and generate U.S. $ 1,400 million per year.
Fernanda Giannasi, an inspector of the Ministry of Labour of Brazil 25 years ago fighting to ban the material in the country, says that white asbestos has killed hundreds of people and cause more deaths if not prohibited.
activist 52 years gained an international reputation for his work against the asbestos industry and was even called the "Erin Brockovich of Brazil", in reference to the American who fought the polluting industries water in California and became a character in a movie. Giannasi
rejects the idea that the product can be used safely, as some manufacturers. "This is a fiction," he says.
Mexico and the laws in Mexico, more than 2,000 companies use asbestos in various products such as brakes, heaters, ceilings, pipes and cables. More than 8,000 workers have direct contact with the substance.
The country increased imports of asbestos in the 1970s, much of Canada. Today their manufacturers buy most of their supplies from Canada and Brazil.
According to the Secretariat Economy of the country, 1,881 companies use raw asbestos. These companies employ 8,000 people, according to the National Confederation of Workers.
Some employers promote "controlled use" of asbestos in Mexico.
But Dr. Guadalupe Aguilar Madrid, a physician and researcher at the Social Security Institute of Mexico, said that weak laws protecting workers were allowed to proliferate dangerous conditions and warns that deaths will increase considerably.
The doctor predicts that the number of deaths from mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer related to asbestos could be between 3,000 and 5,000 compared to current 1,500, and stresses that the epidemic will not stop until the country banned asbestos. Cancer and lobby
Several scientists fear that the use of white asbestos spread an epidemic of diseases related to the substance. For the World Health Organization (WHO), the white asbestos can also cause cancer.
"My opinion is that the risks are very high, as high as any other human carcinogen that has been seen, except perhaps the smoking," said Vincent Cogliano, a scientist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer WHO. Precisely
also compared to the asbestos industry with regard to tobacco lobbyists who work to give good image.
The asbestos lobby's influence reaches around the world. Groups advocating for its use have spent nearly $ 100 million since mid 1980 to promote sales in just three countries: India, Canada and Brazil.
Critics say that these groups mimic the strategy of the snuff industry, raise doubts, avoid litigation and delay the implementation of regulations.
But most of the scientists consulted in the investigation told the BBC that white asbestos, which accounts for 90% of total production in the world itself is dangerous.
In the U.S., the construction industry no longer uses any form of asbestos. However, the number of deaths due to substance are reaching their peak because of the long period in which the disease can still manifest.
Canada is one of the largest producers of white asbestos and exports the product, but prohibits their use in the country.
http://www.diariosalud.net/content/view/20255/36/
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