Posted on July 11, 2016

Top Ten Asbestos Facts (2016)

  1. Top Ten Asbestos Facts (2015)President Barack Obama said, “Asbestos
    [is] a known carcinogen that kills as many as 10,000 Americans every year.”

  2. The United States and Canada are the last two western industrial nations not to ban asbestos.

  3. Nearly 40 years ago, the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared asbestos to be a human carcinogen.

  4. The Word Health Organization (WHO) estimates “there are approximately 125 million people in the world who are exposed to asbestos in the workplace.”

  5. The Word Health Organization (WHO) states “more than 107,000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposures.”

  6. The Word Health Organization (WHO) states, “one in every three deaths from occupational cancer is estimated to be caused by asbestos. In addition, it is estimated that several thousands of deaths can be attributed annually to exposure to asbestos in the living environment.

  7. USGS: “In 2015, asbestos consumption in the United States was estimated to be about 360 tons.”

  8. USGS: In 2015, the “chloralkali industry accounted for an estimated 90% of U.S. consumption.”

  9. USGS: “Numerous materials substitute for asbestos.”

  10. Russia is the leading producer of asbestos worldwide, followed by China, Brazil, and Kazakhstan.