Asbestos is a material that was used extensively in the past because of its resistance to heat and chemical damage. Today, asbestos is still used in some products, but its use is heavily regulated. In the United States, asbestos is most commonly found in older buildings. If you suspect that your home or office may contain asbestos, you should contact a professional for an asbestos inspection. Abatement Service In New York can help you with your asbestos project design needs. Here, we want to go further in our study of these countries and give you more details.
Asbestos mining today
According to a report published in 2013, the countries with the largest asbestos mining (in terms of metric tons) are, in order: Russia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, China and India. Russia's asbestos production is higher than that of the other 4 countries on this list combined. This ranking was almost the same in 2015 and then in 2016. The only changes noted since then: Kazakhstan left the top 4 and Brazil adopted a ban on the production, distribution and use of asbestos or products containing it in 2017.
China and Russia are the two countries in the world where asbestos consumption is the highest ; indeed, to give you an idea, China consumed a quantity of asbestos more than 700 times greater than that which was consumed in the United States in the same year
The production and use of products containing asbestos today at the international level
Here is some information that will tell you a lot about the use that some countries still make of asbestos and products that contain it:
Canada
The last Canadian asbestos mines closed in 2012. Then, a few years later, at the end of 2018, the government announced a ban on the manufacture of all products containing asbestos and the import and export of said products.
Russia
The vast majority of asbestos mined in Russia comes from the city of Asbest , formerly nicknamed "the dying city" because of the many cases of mesothelioma being identified there.
Asbestos mining is carried out by Ouralasbest, being none other than the largest producer of chrysotile in the world. And according to this company, the controlled use of chrysotile is not dangerous for human health... The mine where the Ouralasbest miners work is 12 km long, almost 3 km wide and down to 350 meters deep.
China
Both asbestos mining and the production of asbestos-containing products have slowed in recent years.
Even if the data on the incidence of mesothelioma are not yet available, this slowdown is surely because the number of cancers registered in the country is increasing, corresponding to 13% of the affected population. Not to mention the estimates that, by 2035, each year, 15,000 people could die from illness resulting from asbestos exposure…
Brazil
Despite the significant progress made following the decisions taken by the Brazilian Supreme Court, local experts in treating asbestos-related diseases believe that, unfortunately, the number of deaths will increase further in the years to come. Indeed, in most cases, mesothelioma is not detected until it has reached an advanced stage...
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is home to one of the largest asbestos deposits in the world, containing 37 million metric tons.
Nevertheless, recent developments in the country indicate that Kazakhstan and more and more other countries could also take a step towards reducing asbestos-related diseases. Seminars and a first conference in the country have revealed that citizens are all aware of the dangers of asbestos.
Colombia
In 2019, Colombia imposed a total ban on all acts of production, marketing and distribution of asbestos. Since 2021, all industries have been called upon to adapt to new processes and products during a transition period spanning 5 years, until 2026.
India
Although there are no more asbestos mines in India, the country remains the largest importer of asbestos from Canada; today, India handles nearly 4 million tons of asbestos. The studies thus assume that the rates of asbestos-related diseases will continue to increase.
In 2011, India voted to add asbestos to the Rotterdam Convention's list of hazardous chemicals. A large group of professionals and activists, known as BANI (The Ban Asbestos Network of India) has mobilized and the campaigns they lead are enjoying growing success.
UK
Since 1931, the United Kingdom has gradually extended its regulatory restrictions to reduce the risk associated with asbestos and to provide levels of exposure less dangerous to health. The culmination of these steps was reached in 1986, prohibiting any act of sale, use and distribution of crocidolite and ammonite. The last step taken was, in 1999, the banning of chrysotile.
As in the other countries mentioned in this article, the number of annual deaths caused by mesothelioma has continued to climb; from 153 in 1968, we went to 2291 in 2011.
Australia
Similar to the other countries on our list, in Australia the number of annual deaths from asbestos exposure has risen from 156 in 1982 to estimates reaching 18,000 in 2020.
The city of Wittenoom, in the western part of the country, has the highest rate of mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases worldwide. The mine closed in 1966 and from 2006 mail delivery ceased and the town also lost its electricity supply. The significant use of asbestos in Australia has thus been considerably reduced.
South Africa
Asbestos mining began in South Africa in 1883. The climax of this activity was reached in 1977, when the country became the 3rd largest supplier in the world. But, as in many other countries, the health effects of asbestos exposure have been hidden and ignored.
However, this eventually changed and most of the mines were closed. The growing collective awareness has been accelerated by the efforts of residents of one of the country's mining towns, Priska. They formed the CPAA (Concerned People against Asbestos), an organization that provides compensation for citizens affected by asbestos-related diseases.
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