April 3rd

By Dr. Jim teWaterNaude

South Africa has long been plagued by diseases from asbestos mining. Each year, more than 100 South Africans are diagnosed with mesothelioma, but the number of actual deaths, just like in other countries, is believed to be somewhat higher. As a Public Health Medicine specialist, I have practiced medicine and researched the effects of asbestos in urban and rural areas across South Africa. Much work remains to be done even though the use, import, processing or manufacturing of any asbestos or asbestos-containing products was banned in South Africa in 2008. However, South Africa was the world’s largest producers of blue and brown asbestos, which have been shown to be particularly mesotheliomagenic. Incidence rates are expected to continue to rise. In the Asbestos Relief Trust, we work closely with victims and NGOs to raise awareness of the asbestos industries and their harmful effect on their ex-workers and the environment. The newly-formed South African Mesothelioma Interest Group has successfully secured the bid to host the International Mesothelioma Interest Group conference in Cape Town in 2014, and will use this event to further the cause of asbestos and mesothelioma victims. For more information on IMIG, visit: www.imig.org.

Jim teWaterNaude, MBChB, MPhil (MCH), FCPHM is a Public Health Medicine specialist. As medical manager of the Asbestos Relief Trust in South Africa, he leads the compensation of asbestos related diseases victims from the previous mining of blue, brown and white asbestos, and also looks after cohorts of asbestos exposed workers from local power stations. He also serves as a Board Member of IMIG and Member of GBAN.