(Mesothelioma News) - Plans to expand production at a Canadian asbestos mine-a project that has sparked a global outcry-came under further attack on July 1, when an international group of researchers called for a worldwide ban on asbestos mining and use.
Once a widely used building material-thanks to heat- and fire-resistant properties that made it a popular component of insulation and ceilings-asbestos has long been scientifically linked to deadly diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma, a nearly always fatal cancer of the protective lining covering many of the body's organs.
The use and continued presence of asbestos in many buildings across the globe have resulted not only in deaths, but in thousands of lawsuits brought by mesothelioma lawyers who have often obtained large settlements and verdicts for victims of asbestos exposure.
The Collegium Ramazzini, the independent group of academic experts in occupational and environmental health calling for the ban, says its motivation is simple: Asbestos is a carcinogen. "It is just not possible to work safely with asbestos," said Dr. Philip Landrigan of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and head of the Collegium Ramazzini.
Landrigan's group hopes to put pressure on the Canadian government to put an end to the exportation of asbestos and to cut off financial support to Canadian companies that mine and export the material.
They are taking particular aim at an asbestos mine in Quebec, which has asked for a $58 million loan guarantee from the Quebec provincial government to expand its operations. The Collegium Ramazzini sent a letter to Quebec Premier Jean Charest asking him not to approve that measure.
The group points to the deaths and cancers that can result from asbestos exposure, among them mesothelioma, an insidious disease that can take years or decades, to develop post-exposure and invariably carries a grim prognosis.
While mesothelioma lawyers have had success obtaining compensation for asbestos victims-often winning awards in the millions of dollars-medical researchers have yet to make significant progress in battling the disease. And government regulations-designed to protect those who might come in contact with or be in the vicinity of asbestos-are often skirted. Such behavior results in civil and criminal penalties, as well as needless deaths and countless asbestos lawsuits.
Although asbestos has been banned in 52 countries and the health risks are widely known, annual global production still exceeds 2 million metric tons. An estimated 125 million people worldwide are subject to asbestos exposure at work, according to a report published in July in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Globally, some 90,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases, particularly mesothelioma.
Asbestos, said Dr. Landrigan, "is being produced in a small number of countries, including Canada and Russia."
The U.SEPA, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the U.S. National Toxicology Program have all declared asbestos a proven human carcinogen.
"This is a human tragedy that is going to produce many thousands of unnecessary cancers or premature deaths," said Dr. Landrigan. "Most of these are cancers or deaths among people who are least able to protect themselves."
This news story was brought to you by the mesothelioma lawyers at Cooney & Conway. For more than half a century, we've brought relief-and recovery-for those injured by the negligence or harmful actions of others. In the process, we've litigated some of the country's most significant asbestos lawsuits, helping victims of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases get answers and justice.
Social Media Tags: asbestos exposure, mesothelioma lawyers, asbestos victims,
Other Mesothelioma News:
Mesothelioma Case Filed on Behalf of the Estate of Naval Veteran
Cooney Conway Filed Suit on Behalf of Pipefitter With Mesothelioma
Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Mechanic Exposed to Asbestos in the Workplace
