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American Public Health Association Calls for Broad Ban of Asbestos

Friday, November 13, 2009

This week, members of the American Public Health Association, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted a resolution urging Congress to ban the “manufacture, sale export or import of asbestos-containing products. The American Public Health Association is the largest organization of health professionals in the world.

“With this new policy, APHA is joining the World Federation of Public Health Associations and other international organizations calling for a global ban on asbestos mining and manufacturing and the dangerous practice of exporting asbestos containing materials,” said Celeste Monforton, chair of the APHA’s occupational health and safety section. “As the World Health Organization noted in 2006, the most efficient way to eliminate asbestos related diseases is to stop using all types of asbestos.”

Exposure to asbestos increases the risk of a person developing respiratory diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer of lining of the lungs or abdomen. Approximately, 2,000 to 3,000 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States

Asbestos is regulated in the United States, but its use is still permitted for certain products such as fire proofing, roofing, flooring and other materials. EPA banned all new uses of asbestos in 1989. Still, an estimated 1.3 million employees in construction and general industry face significant asbestos exposure on the job. More than 40 countries have banned asbestos.

Labels: National News

posted by Wade Rawlins at 2:13 PM
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