Banning Asbestos Only One Step on a Long Road

Banning all forms of asbestos won’t end the problem of asbestos-related diseases. It is merely a good starting point. As more countries around the world move closer to an outright ban, Australia has become a reminder to guard against false hope. The Australian experience proves how unrelenting this problem is and how much more work must be done. Fifteen years after its much-celebrated ban of the toxic mineral, Australia has just reached its peak of asbestos-related diseases such as malignant mesothelioma cancer. “It took many years, and efforts from many organizations, for a complete ban to be put in place,” epidemiologist Dr. Matthew Soeberg of the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute (ADRI) told Asbestos.com. “But Australia’s asbestos legacy will continue for many decades to come, posing an ongoing public health risk.” Australia Sets Example for Others to Follow Soeberg is the lead author of a study published recently in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health that examined his country’s ongoing asbestos problem, long after the laws were passed. “The Australian asbestos consumption story continues to impose health, social and economic costs today,” he said. “In addition to the battles fought to achieve a complete asbestos ban, there are battles to preserve the essential disease surveillance and safety efforts that we will need to prevent future cases of asbestos disease.” The fight continues. There were 16,679 people diagn...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news