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Asbestos related disease in South Africa
Haylee Thompson (Apr 14, 2013 9:43 PM) – Read by: 1Reply to Message Reply
Global Issue of Asbestos Related Disease in South Africa
For over a century, South Africa was one of the largest exporter of asbestos in the world (Braun & Kisting, 2006). The large exportation of asbestos has led to a high rate of asbestos related diseases (ARDs), and has caused suffering to many former workers, and people living in mining areas (Braun & Kisting, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to describe the significance of ARDs in South Africa; describe the social factors, economic impact, and asbestos related health policies in the United States; describe the resources allocated to asbestos related disease; and discuss the progress being made to address this global health issue.
According to Braun and Kisting (2006), audits performed in the 1990s by health activists, showed an approximate 30 percent prevalence rate of ARDs in asbestos mine workers. Exposure levels South Africa were not documented until the 1940’s, and men, women, and children all worked together, making entire families at risk for the disease (Braun & Kisting, 2006). Families lived close to the mines and worked in isolation for many years, leading to occupational and environmental exposure (Braun & Kisting, 2006). The asbestos industry was able to evade regulations, and hide the burden of ARDS, by requiring low-wage labor and minimal capitol investment. (Braun & Kisting, 2006). The asbestos industry stressed the importance of asbestos to the local communities, which swayed authorities to ignore any evidence of disease (Braun & Kisting, 2006). Asbestos related diseases have similar symptoms to other respiratory diseases (Braun & Kisting, 2006). Many workers developed symptoms 15 years after exposure, and were living in villages without healthcare (Braun & Kisting, 2006). These factors made it difficult to discern an association between asbestos, and the respiratory symptoms the workers were experiencing (Braun & Kisting, 2006). By silencing the burden of ARDs, the asbestos industry was able to hide the actual significance of asbestos related disease in South Africa.
Over the past two decades, asbestos mines have closed down in South Africa, leaving many workers unemployed, and unable to obtain new employment because of their exposure to asbestos (Kisting, Gona, & Braun, 2004). A survey of over 1000 people showed more than 70 percent of ex-asbestos mine workers, live in poverty in rural communities that are not well developed (Kisting et al., 2004). Many ex workers living with ARDs are either uncompensated, or under compensated for associated medical costs (Kisting et al., 2004). The asbestos industry in South Africa pays inadequate amounts in compensation, instead of putting preventive measures into place (Kisting et al., 2004). According to the World Health Organization (2004), approximately 107,000 people worldwide die each year from ARDs, and a study from 2008, states the estimated global cost of asbestos related cancer was at 2.4 billion dollars (Watson, 2012). The overall economic impact of ARDs in South Africa cannot fully be measured due to the absence of data during the lifetime of the South African asbestos industry (Kisting et al., 2006).
The United States has many health policies in place regarding asbestos. The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, requires local educational organizations to have schools inspected for asbestos-containing materials (EPA, 2013). The Asbestos Information Act, requires companies who manufacture asbestos containing products, to report production to the environmental protection agency (EPA). Other laws include the Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Reauthorization Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act (EPA, 2013). The EPA also has regulations including, the Asbestos-Containing Materials in School Rule, Asbestos Water Protection Rule, Asbestos Ban and Phaseout Rule, and the Asbestos National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants Regulation (EPA, 2013).
The World Health Organization (WHO), recommends the elimination of all products containing asbestos, and is committed to work with countries to eliminate asbestos related diseases (WHO, 2010). Resolution 60.26 is a global campaign geared towards the elimination of ARDs, through collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as other intergovernmental organizations, which requires the allocation of human, and financial resources. The collaboration between WHO and ILO, has led to the development of national programs, funded through the government, to eliminate asbestos related diseases (WHO, 2007). The National Programme for the Elimination of Asbestos-Related Diseases (NPEAD), is a policy that outlines the problem, strategies for elimination, and long-term objectives for the elimination of ARDs (WHO, 2007). The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), is an independent asbestos victim’s organization, whose goal is to increase awareness about the dangers of asbestos, and to help implement a global asbestos ban (ADAO, 2013). The ADAO contributes financial, and human resources towards increasing global asbestos awareness. The Ban Asbestos Network India is an organization that raises asbestos awareness in India, through human resources (The Mesothelioma Center, 2013). The International Ban Asbestos Secretariat was founded to educate the public, and counter lobbying efforts by the asbestos industry (The Mesothelioma Center, 2013). There are 70 anti-asbestos activist organizations globally, and many allocate human and financial resources to educate the public of the dangers of asbestos, and the prevalence of ARDs (The Mesothelioma Center, 2013).
Since the link between malignant diseases and asbestos became common knowledge, many policies have been developed to help raise awareness, and eliminate the use of asbestos.(Kazan, 2013). The first policies created to ban asbestos, were developed approximately 30 years ago in Australia (Kazan, 2013). Since then, many resolutions created by the International Labor Organization, WHO, International Agency for Research on Cancer, and numerous others, were developed to promote a worldwide ban on asbestos use (Kazan 2013). Progress was made in 2012, when the Canadian government stopped fighting the efforts to make asbestos listed as a dangerous substance, and two global professional groups made the Elimination of Asbestos part of their member organizations (Kazan, 2013). Asbestos is still being used and manufactured in developing countries like China, Brazil, and India, due to lobbying efforts from the asbestos industry (Kazan, 2013). Utilization of the media is important in spreading the word of the harmful effects of asbestos to these developing countries, to succeed in the global ban of asbestos.
The burden of ARDs in South Africa has been invisible for many years. The mining industry is no longer in operation in South Africa, but people are still suffering from environmental contamination, and past exposure. Global organizations are working to eliminate the manufacturing, and use of asbestos worldwide, but there are some countries that still manufacture, and use asbestos. Progress has been made, but there is still the challenge of overcoming the lobbying efforts of the asbestos industry, to ban asbestos worldwide, and develop prevention programs in South Africa to help current and future victims of asbestos related disease.
References
Braun, L., Kisting, S. (2006). Asbestos related disease in south africa: The social production of an invisible epidemic. American Journal of Public Health, 96(8), 138-1396. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy2.usouthal.edu/ehost/detail?
Kazan, S. (2013). Still progress to be made in the fight against asbestos. Retrieved from
http://www.kazanlaw.com/index.php/still-progress-to-be-made-in-the-fight-against- asbestos/
Kisting, S., Gona, F., and Braun, L. (2004). The burden of asbestos-related disease in south africa and the struggle for prevention and compensation. Retrieved from
http://worldasbestosreport.org/conferences/gac/gac2004/pl_1_04_e.pdf
The Mesothelioma Center (2013). Asbestos Lobbying Organizations. Retrieved from
http://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/lobbying-organizations.php
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013). Asbestos laws and regulation. Retrieved from http://www2.epa.gov/asbestos/asbestos-laws-and-regulations
Watson, B. (2012). Social and financial impact of asbestos-related disease. Retrieved from
https://www.comcare.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/118869/Bruce_Watson.pdf
World Health Organization. (2004). Asebestos. Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/ipcs/assessment/public_health/asbestos/en/
World Health Organization. (2007). Outline for the development of national programmes for elimination of asbestos related diseases. Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/Out_NPEAD_ENG.pdf
World Health Organization. (2010). Asbestos: Elimination of asbestos-related diseases. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/asbestosrelateddiseases.pdf
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