Asbestos

All types of asbestos cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, cancer of the larynx and ovary, and asbestosis (fibrosis of the lungs). Exposure to asbestos occurs through inhalation of fibres in air in the working environment, ambient air in the vicinity of point sources such as factories handling asbestos, or indoor air in housing and buildings containing friable (crumbly) asbestos materials.

A substantial proportion of manual workers in the construction industry globally are exposed to asbestos. Exposure to asbestos at work causes more than 200 000 deaths globally every year, more than 70% if all deaths from work-related cancers. Exposure to asbestos is also estimated to cause a loss of nearly 4 million disability-adjusted life years, and a substantial level of deaths and ill health are also attributed to exposure to asbestos outside the workplace. 

Elimination of asbestos-related diseases should take place through the following public health actions:

• recognizing that the most efficient way to eliminate asbestos-related diseases is to stop the use of all types of asbestos;
• replacing asbestos with safer substitutes and developing economic and technological mechanisms to stimulate its replacement;
• taking measures to prevent exposure to asbestos in place and during asbestos removal (abatement); and
• improving early diagnosis, treatment, social and medical rehabilitation of asbestos-related diseases and establishing registries of people with past and/or current exposures to asbestos.