Total Global Ban on Asbestos Urged by Scientists

Scientists writing in the International Journal of Environment and Health have called for a total global ban on asbestos. Today, they say, just 52 nations (of the total 194 in the world) prohibit the use, import, and export of the material.
Asbestos has been scientifically linked to deadly diseases including lung cancer and mesothelioma, an incurable cancer that strikes the protective lining covering many of the body’s organs. For years, mesothelioma lawyers, researchers, and advocacy groups have been urging lawmakers in the U.S. and elsewhere to ban asbestos.
Long popular in construction, shipbuilding, automobile, and other industries due to its heat- and fire-resistant qualities, the material can still be found in many buildings, workplaces, and homes.
According to the authors, asbestos accounts for 5 percent to 7 percent of all lung cancer in men and has negatively impacted the health of millions. Nearly all cases of mesothelioma, which kills thousands of victims every year, can be traced to asbestos exposure.
While many nations, including the United States, have laws in place to regulate the use and handling of asbestos, testing and abatement can be costly, and many property owners and employers skirt the rules, potentially exposing others to needless battles with lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Asbestos—which can still be found in ceilings, floor tiles, insulation, and piping—is particularly dangerous when it is disturbed (for example, during a renovation project) and asbestos fibers escape into the air. Asbestos particles that are inhaled can lodge in the lungs, triggering diseases like mesothelioma years—even decades—down the road.
A diagnosis of mesothelioma is particularly grim: Many patients succumb within a year of diagnosis; few survive five years or more. While mesothelioma lawyers have been successful in obtaining large jury awards and settlements, researchers still struggle to find a cure, or even a viable long-term treatment.

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