WHO Declares Asbestos, Causes Mesothelioma (Cancer) as One of Top 10 Hazardous Substance
By Jayita, Gaea News NetworkMonday, May 31, 2010
The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed a new list consists of 10 hazardous substances. Asbestos has been described as one of the major health hazardous substances in the list. Other lethal substances against which WHO warned include, mercury, lead, dioxin, arsenic, cadmium etc.
As you know, Asbestos causes Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Generally, a person is diagnosed with Mesothelioma 30 years or more after exposure to asbestos fibers. Asbestos being the primary cause of Mesothelioma, the disease is often termed as “asbestos cancer”.
Mesothelioma is found in the lining of the lungs. According to WHO, asbestos is the cause of approximately half of all deaths from cancer. 125 million people around the world are exposed to asbestos in their workplace and 90,000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, Mesothelioma and asbestosis.
To help fight Mesothelioma the use of asbestos should be banned totally. Though the use of asbestos has been decreased in many countries, chrysotile asbestos is still widely used in asbestos-cement building materials. The members of European Union have taken a great move by banning all forms of asbestos while developing countries are yet to implement this.
