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WHO issues asbestos-related deaths warning

WHO issues asbestos-related deaths warning
By Sututu Katundu
Wed 05 Oct. 2011, 06:40 CAT

A STUDY published in this month's bulletin of the World Health Organisation has warned that many low and middle-income countries that continue to use asbestos in building and transport industries face many deaths in the coming decades. The WHO has called on countries to stop using all types of asbestos and improve reporting.

"We know the risks," says Dr Ivan Ivanov, scientist at WHO. "All forms of asbestos are carcinogenic and may cause mesothelioma and cancer of the lung, larynx and ovary, as well as other diseases. Even if these countries stop using asbestos today, they are going to see an increase in asbestos-related deaths for many decades to come."

The study, for the first time, counts total deaths reported to WHO from malignant mesothelioma, a rare but fatal cancer that is almost always traced to exposure to asbestos. It usually takes longer than 30 years to develop but once diagnosed, average survival time is less than one year.

The bulletin of the WHO however said cancer deaths caused by asbestos exposure were starting to fall in high-income countries that have since banned the use of asbestos.

"We found that mesothelioma deaths are starting to decrease in the USA but are still increasing in Europe and Japan, reflecting the time lag following historical use of asbestos," says researcher Ken Takahashi from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Kitakyushu City, Japan.

"The real concern is that many developing countries continue to use this deadly material but don't report data to WHO on the deaths it causes."

Malignant mesothelioma affects the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs, most commonly the outer lining of the lungs and the chest wall, but also the lining of the abdominal cavity, and sacs around the heart and testes.

Labels: HEALTHCARE, PUBLIC HEALTH, WHO

posted by MrK @ 1:45 PM