Chrysotile Asbestos and Disease

1
Chrysotile Asbestos and Disease

• Dr Sophia Kisting
• Occupational and Environmental Health Research
  Unit, University of Cape Town, South Africa
• NUM Parliamentary Presentation
• 28 January 2003

2
Commercial Types of Asbestos

• 3 commercial types mined in South Africa
• Chrysotile or white
• Crocidolite or blue
• Amosite or brown

3
Diseases caused by chrysotile asbestos

• Asbestosis
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma
• It is by and large poorer members of society who
  carry the biggest burden of asbestos related
  diseases
• The advocates of asbestos use have seldom been
  exposed or suffer from the disease

4
International Agency for Research on Cancer

• Classified chrysotile as a human carcinogen
• Mainly chrysotile used throughout the world
• Chrysotile associated with lung cancer

5
Role of asbestos industry

• Historically a treacherous one
• Exploitation of the poor
• Fund research and suppressed information if not
  in their interest
• Developed world mostly stopped or controlled the
  use of chrysotile
• Most of Canadas chrysotile exported to the
  developing world
• India, in particular is targeted as an export
  market

6
What about the environment and future generations

• We know that chrysotile causes cancer
• How can we continue to use it with this knowledge
  at our disposal?
• Since if manifests years later as disease we are
  taking decisions for our children and
  grandchildren to suffer from the same diseases
  that is causing one of the biggest tragedies in
  our country
• There are alternatives to chrysotile asbestos