Asbestos-Related Diseases: Still a Concern in Emerging Economies in the Absence of an International Ban

Asbestos has been known for many years to cause a range of both non-malignant and malignant diseases. Over fifty countries have totally banned the use of asbestos, but in emerging economies there continues to be considerable use of asbestos. Unfortunately, the United States is one of the very few developed countries that has not banned the use of this material due to industry intransigence. With the continued use of asbestos because of the lack of a worldwide ban there can be expected to be disease well into the future, for at least fifty more years, due to the long latency period for disease development. Stopping the use of asbestos has been shown to decrease the incidence, as seen in Sweden, of disease and is clearly the recommended path forward.