Companies Market Asbestos In Developing World, News Reports Say

A global network of groups tied to the asbestos industry has spent $100 million since the mid-1980s to continue to produce and sell the mineral — a known carcinogen used in insulation and construction — in the developing world, according to a new report. The BBC and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists say that despite bans or restrictions on asbestos in 52 countries, asbestos companies continue to supply roughly 2 million metric tons of asbestos a year to rapidly developing countries such as India, China, Brazil, and Mexico. The companies and related trade groups, led by the Canadian government-backed Chrysotile Institute, have engaged in sophisticated lobbying and public relations campaigns claiming that the white asbestos — chrysotile — now in use is safer than blue and brown forms of the mineral, which have caused cancer and lung disease in hundreds of thousands of people. As a result of the past and present use of asbestos, the report said roughly 100,000 workers will die of asbestos-related diseases annually and that 5 to 10 million people could die from asbestos exposure by 2030.