Asbestos


 * Climate Change is hazardous to your health ||
 * Smoking ||
 * Asbestos ||
 * DDT ||
 * Climate Change ||
 * Evaluating timelines ||
 * Current attitudes towards climate change ||
 * Progressing attitudes towards climate change ||
 * References ||

**Health risk example 2 **

A naturally occurring mineral composite found in many countries of the world, asbestos use by humans dates back more than four and a half thousand years. Even early users observed a connection between asbestos and lung problems. But, adopting an attitude that was to inform the story of asbestos through time, they decided the benefits outweighed the disadvantages.

Though asbestos continues to be used today largely for construction in developing countries where health and safety considerations can be forsaken in favour of affordability and access, its dangers are well-documented and the manufacture and distribution of asbestos products is widely prohibited. The number of litigation cases brought by victims of asbestos inhalation continues to mount.



**ASBESTOS TIMELINE ** 13,14.


 * **Date ** || **Events ** ||
 * 2500BC || Asbestos mining begins on small scale when the Finnish use it to strengthen utensils and earthenware pots. ||
 * 1st Century AD || Slaves of the Ancient Greeks and Romans used asbestos to weave cloth - even then it was noticed by Pliny the Elder and geographer Strabo, to cause ‘sickness of the lungs’. Yet impressed by the apparent benefits of the material, they ignored the symptoms. ||
 * 500AD || Wealthy Persians import asbestos cloth from the Hindu Kush. They impress guests by throwing the cloth into a fire, to clean it. ||
 * 476AD-1500 || It seems asbestos use declined during this period, though records indicate it was still in some use - during his travels, Marco Polo was shown items made from asbestos cloth. ||
 * 1700’s || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Asbestos returned to limited use. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Late 1800’s || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Mining increases to large scale with asbestos growing in popularity as insulator of high temperature products - steam pipes, turbines and ovens. Health risks of old either forgotten or ignored. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1900 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Authorities notice large numbers of deaths and lung problems common in asbestos mining towns. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1906 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">First documented asbestos death. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Early 1900s || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">UK - pathologist Dr Cooke introduces asbestos case description, noting “Medical men in areas where asbestos is manufactured have long suspected the dust to be the cause of chronic bronchitis and fibrosis..” In 1927 reporting another case, Dr Cooke names the disease ‘asbestosis’. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1918 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Several US studies note significant deaths amongst young workers who used asbestos. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1924 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Study in England shows 25% of asbestos workers have lung disease. This leads to legislation about better ventilation - a move that would not take place in the US for a further 10yrs. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1930’s || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Major medical journals begin publishing articles linking asbestos to cancer. The term ‘mesothelioma’ is first used in medical literature in 1931. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1930 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">US epidemic of silicosis (lung disease caused by silica inhalation) and associated legal action puts asbestosis on back burner. The construction of Hawks Nest Tunnel in West Virginia caused between 400 - 1000 silicosis deaths. Hard to pinpoint numbers because workers who fell ill were fired and left region. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; vertical-align: super;">15. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1932 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Letter from US Bureau of Mines to asbestos manufacturer Eagle-Picher states “It is now known that asbestos dust is one of the most dangerous dusts to which man is exposed.” ref: Brodeur, P, 1985, //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Outrageous Misconduct: The Asbestos Industry on Trial //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> (1st ed) Pantheon Books

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> Many companies, though now aware of asbestos dangers, continue to use it because it is cheap and easy, despite the fact that many other safer alternatives - such as fibreglass - now exist. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">India, China, Russia, Brazil continue to use asbestos widely. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1933 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">US Manufacturer Johns-Manville settles 11 lawsuits on condition that employees’ lawyer never again directly or indirectly brings new actions against the corporation. A year later, officials of this company and another asbestos manufacturer edit an insurance company article about asbestos worker diseases to downplay the dangers of asbestos dust. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1936 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">A group of asbestos companies agree to sponsor research into health effects of asbestos dust - on condition that they maintain absolute control over disclosure of the results. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1940 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Lang Hancock mines asbestos in Wittenoom Gorge, Western Australia. From 1950 to early 60’s, this was Australia’s only supplier of asbestos. 161,000 tonnes mined in 23yrs. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; vertical-align: super;">16. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Early 1940’s || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Johns-Manville President and attorney accused of agreeing he would allow asbestos employees to work until they dropped dead because they would “...save a lot of money that way.” ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1945 - 1980’s || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Asbestos widely used in Australian construction and other industries. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1951 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Asbestos companies remove all reference to cancer before publication of research - which they sponsored. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1960’s - 1980’s || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Asbestos used to fireproof roofing, flooring, to insulate and other purposes. Mid to late 80’s sees growing concern about lung cancer/ mesothelioma risk through exposure of building occupants and workers. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1970s || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Court documentation proves asbestos industry officials had known about dangers of asbestos since 1930’s - but concealed this knowledge from the public. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1981 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">US EPA requests information from US companies re asbestos content of their products. In 1989 EPA instigates regulations regarding asbestos use - though it continues to be allowed. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1983 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Asbestos mining ceases in Australia. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1985 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">UK - Blue and brown asbestos materials banned. In 1999 import, sale and secondhand use banned. By 2006 regulations introduced regarding management and removal of asbestos. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1989 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Australia - Use of asbestos begins to be phased out - not banned completely until 2003. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">2001 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">New York, USA - September 11 attacks on WTC. More than 1,000 tons of asbestos thought to have been released during collapse of World Trade Center. Asbestos and other toxicants suspected of causing unusually high cancer deaths of emergency service workers since the disaster. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">2002 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">More than 730,000 asbestos claimants and 8,400 defendants comprise longest, most expensive mass litigation in US history, at an estimated cost of over $250 billion. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">2005 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Queensland begins regulation of asbestos removal and disposal. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">March 2007 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">All reference to Western Australian town Wittenoom - built around a blue asbestos mine and still contaminated - officially removed from maps and road signs. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">2004 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Japan bans asbestos. In 2005, a scandal reveals that hundreds of Japanese workers died over previous decades, from asbestos-related disease. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">2009 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Asbestos banned in Korea. In 2011, banned in Turkey. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">2010 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">USA - Washington state bans use of asbestos to make car brakes - starting in 2014. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">2012 || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">In May, The High Court of Australia rules against directors of former asbestos manufacturer James Hardie in a landmark case. This followed 8 years of litigation lead by crusader Bernie Banton who contracted asbestos related diseases after working 6 years at a James Hardie asbestos factory in NSW. In 1974 there were 137 workers at the facility. By 2006 only ten were still alive. Bernie died in November 2007. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; vertical-align: super;">17,18.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">SUMMARY OF ASBESTOS TIMELINE **[[image:Slide15.jpg width="1080" height="810"]]