The Fallout from Asbestos

Details

• Personal Author:
  Wagner, Gregory R.
• Description:
  Caveat emptor: investors are warned routinely that past performance does not guarantee future results. By contrast, importation and use of asbestos seems to have all-too-predictable outcomes. In The Lancet of March 10, Ro-Ting Lin and colleagues analysed the experience of 33 countries, and showed that national asbestos consumption, after a latent period of 30-40 years, results inexorably in a proportional number of deaths from mesothelioma and asbestosis. Uncounted by the researchers, but equally predictable and probably more numerous, are the other known outcomes of asbestos exposure: lung cancer, laryngeal tumours, and perhaps malignant disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. ... Lin and colleagues' findings highlight the tremendous current opportunity to blunt a future epidemic of asbestos-related deaths. Countries with the least historical usage can maintain their favoured status if they decide soon to restrict or eliminate importation and use. Future costs of health care, lost productivity, and human suffering, and the great economic costs of managing asbestos-contaminated waste, can be avoided. To paraphrase George Santayana: "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it." We hope the lesson from Lin's research is not lost on those who stand to benefit most. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asbestos Digestive System Digestive System Diseases Dust Hazardous Substances Inorganic Chemicals Lung Lung Diseases Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety

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• Keywords:
  Asbestos Dust Asbestos Fibers Asbestos Industry Asbestosis Disease Control Disease Prevention Gastrointestinal System Disorders Hazard Communication Lung Cancer Malignancy Mesothelioma Mortality Data Mortality Rates Respiratory System Disorders Tumors

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• ISSN:
  0140-6736
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  369
• Issue:
  9566
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057315
• Citation:
  Lancet 2007 Mar; 369(9566):973-974
• Contact Point Address:
  Gregory R. Wagner, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, DC 20201, USA
• Email:
  gwagner@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4) ; Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  The Lancet
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:82f648d929841d4fb02cf39e232478a905161e24f7829b64b1b1f94f3a928328cabbc267d19020b33c4115bb2d24b281711d06d1d7db860dcb4e7e2593f27e8b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214707/cdc_214707_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 42.51 KB ]