Asbestos

Production

Industrial-scale production began in Italy during the nineteenth century, with mines subsequently opened in many countries. The principal producers of asbestos became Canada, particularly Quebec and the Urals region of Russia. Production has subsequently declined as new health and safety regulations have restricted its use in most countries. Mine production of 3.5 million tons of asbestos in 1996 is not likely to [Page 77]be exceeded in the future, although production continued in earnest in China, in particular, including at several forced labor camps. Statistics about asbestosis and asbestos-related lung cancers from China are, unsurprisingly, not freely available.

Chrysotile asbestos, detected in trace levels in dust and airfall debris at the World Trade Center site after 9/11.

Industrial Responsibility

Breathing in asbestos fibers leads to a lung condition known as asbestosis or the form of lung cancer known as mesothelioma, which is a deadly and swift-acting disease. Prolonged exposure to asbestos, such as living in a house in which asbestos has been used for insulation, can be sufficient for asbestosis to be caused. It was not until the 1970s that sufficient information became available for definitive judgments concerning the dangers posed by asbestos and, since then, regulations discouraging and then preventing its use have been introduced into many countries of the world.

However, this progress remains very slow, and thousands are killed annually by exposure to the substance. Moreover, the long latency periods between inhalation of asbestos fibers and the onset of disease, and the tardiness in implementing bans in the past, means that more deaths are expected in the future. The International Labour Organisation (ILO), for example, estimates that around 100,000 people contract diseases annually because of work-related asbestos exposure. Deaths in developed countries will be intense as well, since asbestos has been used in many public buildings. The extent to which this occurs was revealed around the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, when the concentrations of asbestos in many buildings became part of the public domain for the first time. Issues surrounding liability in terms of exposure to asbestos remain unresolved in the United States, where corporate interests have been trying to limit responsibility. The engineering company Halliburton made a $4.2 billion settlement to claimants in 2004 as a result of suits field against a business it had previously purchased. Some have claimed that asbestos exposure may prove to be the largest potential burden for business in the foreseeable future.

...