Asbestosis (white lung)
I found a great timeline about asbestos at this website https://www.mesotheliomahelp.org/asbestos/history/ it is a lot to write a short blurb about so please take a look at it, it’s great!
According to the WHO Currently about 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at the workplace. In 2004, asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis from occupational exposures resulted in 107,000 deaths and 1,523,000 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). In addition, several thousands of deaths can be attributed to other asbestos-related diseases, as well as to nonoccupational exposures to asbestos.
Elimination of asbestos-related diseases should take place through the following public health actions:
a. recognizing that the most efficient way to eliminate asbestos-related diseases is to stop the use of all types of asbestos;
b. replacing asbestos with safer substitutes and developing economic and technological mechanisms to stimulate its replacement;
c. taking measures to prevent exposure to asbestos in place and during asbestos removal (abatement), and;
d. improving early diagnosis, treatment, social and medical rehabilitation of asbestos-related diseases and establishing registries of people with past and/or current exposures to asbestos.
Hey Rudi,
ReplyDeleteThat's so crazy that your mom's colleagues have been diagnosed with cancer because of the asbestos in the courthouse, so sorry to hear that. This shows how important it is to enforce that everyone should have the right to a healthy and safe workplace.
I feel that all workplaces should have their MSDS forms available online, through email, and in the workplace because the more available the information, the better in regards to workers' health and safety when at the workplace.
It's nice to know that the World Health Organization is also promoting healthy workplaces through this framework/model for action. Many workplaces do not often consider mental health and mental illnesses, so it's great that they are encouraging more of this type of health program in the workplace.
I hope that in the next 10 years, that the number of asbestos related deaths as well as exposures drops dramatically and that a green chemistry type of initiative takes over in order to eliminate asbestos with safer substitutes. The fact that asbestos is causing a ridiculous amount of deaths and white lung isn't right.
Hi Rudi,
ReplyDeleteWow, I did not know that asbestos was such a large public health problem. I really appreciate the recommendations of actions to decrease the prevalence of this asbestosis. They are all great public health actions that coincide with what we have been learning all semester i.e. replacement/substitution, elimination, education prevention, and technology shifts. Thank you for sharing!