Dr Yvonne Waterman, President of The European Asbestos Forum

Different times, different perspectives

Dr Yvonne Waterman, President of the European Asbestos Forum

When it comes to asbestos, there are different kinds of people. You have the ones who say that their grandfathers used to have asbestos snowball fights in the harbour and they died in their nineties, so there, stop fussing. Then there are those who will say that asbestos is a natural mineral ‘and therefore harmless’, as if nature is not chock-a-block full with all sorts of things that can kill you. There are also those who will jump a mile high when they think that there is a single fibre of asbestos nearby.

What all these different perspectives lack is the scientific evidence and understanding on asbestos health risks – and there has been plenty of that out there since the late sixties. All the major global organisations that relate in some way to health agree: asbestos is lethal and there is, theoretically, no safe exposure level and no cure.

Asbestos is all around us and that is a fact we have to deal with. It is also true that asbestos is always, to some extent, present in the air we breathe, and that alone is enough to know that a single fibre is not about to kill the entire population in one fell swoop. You and I are both breathing in asbestos as you are reading this.

We know that the more asbestos you inhale, the more chance you have of becoming ill, and therein lies the reason to be careful with asbestos – to prevent the unnecessary exposures that stack up. Nobody needs to die of asbestos, it is a wholly preventable disease. That is why raising awareness on asbestos dangers is so important.

Over the past decades, our understanding of asbestos has increased. The list of asbestos-related cancers is growing, as stomach, laryngeal, ovarian, colorectal and other cancers are added to it. T h e synergetic relationship between asbestos and tobacco is finally gaining awareness. Being badly exposed to asbestos as well as being a heavy smoker drives the chance of getting lung cancer through the roof, it’s a terrible combination.

The relation between asbestos related lung cancers and mesotheliomas appears to be about six to one. Yet in the efforts to raise awareness and support victims, asbestos related lung cancer victims are often ignored, practically and statistically. The asbestos disaster is so much bigger than we realise.

We ban asbestos in our homes and think ourselves safe, but import asbestos contaminated crayons, makeup and brake pads. Awareness has some way to go there yet. Banning asbestos is just the start, it is by no means the eradication of asbestos.

As I write, it is just before the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, which cost so many lives of first responders and workers in the twin towers. Many survivors have gone on to develop fatal immunodeficiency diseases and cancers. The group with asbestos related cancers is mostly still to come – the death toll of 9/11 will increase steadily as years go by. We are learning much on the health effects of this disaster; and it's a very sad way to do so. I’m taking a moment of quiet reflection to remember these victims, and perhaps you will too.