ABSTRACT Introduction: Asbestos workers have a higher risk of developing mesothelioma; however, few studies have looked at specific jobs and job locations within asbestos factories. The purpose of this study was to investigate asbestos exposure in different job locations of the Tyler, Texas asbestos plant to determine if there was a relationship … [Read more...]
Assessing trends and burden of occupational exposure to asbestos in the United States: a comprehensive analysis from 1990 to 2019
Background This study aimed to analyze the trends and burden of occupational exposure to asbestos in the United States (U.S.) from 1990 to 2019, focusing on mortality rates, geographic distribution, age and sex patterns, and causes of death. Methods Data on the number of deaths attributable to occupational exposure to asbestos were collected … [Read more...]
The U.S. banned asbestos, but its health impact will still be felt for decades
A new rule announced by the Environmental Protection Agency this week puts an end to the use of asbestos, a known carcinogen, in the United States. But researchers caution that we’ll likely still be dealing with the mineral’s public health harms for decades. The recently announced ban covers all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile asbestos, … [Read more...]
US Bans Sole Type of Asbestos, Parts Industries Still Import
The US will ban the only type of raw asbestos fiber known to be imported to the country [(chrysotile asbestos)] as part of a broader rule that also will ban all known uses of the cancer-causing mineral and imported equipment made with it, top EPA and White House officials announced on Monday. Many people are shocked to learn asbestos isn’t … [Read more...]
Lung cancer related to onboard asbestos exposure common among naval veterans
Compared with army and air force veterans in the U.K. and Australia, naval veterans more frequently had lung cancers linked to asbestos exposure, according to results published in Scientific Reports. “Asbestos-related diseases are still around,” Richard T. Gun, MBBS, of the school of public health at The University of Adelaide in Australia, told … [Read more...]
Occupational exposure to cosmetic talc and mesothelioma in barbers, hairdressers, and cosmetologists: A systematic review of the epidemiology
Inhalation exposure to cosmetic talc has generated much scientific debate regarding its potential as a risk factor for mesothelioma, a rare, but fatal cancer. Barbers, hairdressers, and cosmetologists have regularly used cosmetic talc-containing products, but the collective epidemiological evidence for mesothelioma in these occupations has yet to … [Read more...]
Manufactured doubt and the EPA 2020 chrysotile asbestos risk assessment
While all forms of asbestos have been determined to be carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as well as other authoritative bodies, the relative carcinogenic potency of chrysotile continues to be argued, largely in the context of toxic tort litigation. Relatively few epidemiologic studies have investigated … [Read more...]
Does the Presence of Asbestos-Containing Materials in Buildings Post-construction and Before Demolition Have an Impact on the Exposure to Occupants in Non-occupational Settings?
Abstract This narrative review aims to determine if asbestos-containing materials in buildings pose a hazard to building occupants in non-occupational settings. This paper is limited to the post-construction and pre-demolition stages of a building. The researchers selected 19 studies from the 126 studies screened, concerning exposure to asbestos … [Read more...]
EPA Asks for More Public Input on Asbestos After ProPublica and Others Reveal New Information
The Environmental Protection Agency took an unusual step last week: It opened a new period in which the public can comment on its proposed asbestos ban. The agency had gotten new information, officials said, including a series of ProPublica reports on dangerous working conditions in factories that use asbestos to make chlorine. Asbestos has been … [Read more...]
Asbestos — two to three times more deadly than known
"Clouds of dust were falling on us at every blow of the truncheon, but at that time we knew nothing about asbestos," recalled Jesús Ropero Calcerrada, a 73-year-old man who was tasked with scraping asbestos from railway carriages during his working life in Beasáin, in the Basque country in Spain. He and others were not offered any protection from … [Read more...]