Is The Asbestos-mesothelioma Problem Still Relevant?
They often say the times they are a changing. Sometimes this is true.
Sometimes it simply is not. When looking at the asbestos-Mesothelioma
tragedy that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, the question is
whether the partial asbestos ban has resolved the problem and finished
off the problem like BP plugging the oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
The asbestos tragedy was one of the all time corporate boondoggles. Asbestos was long considered a miracle material of sorts. It was incredibly heat and fire resistant, which made it a very valuable and useful material. It was used wherever these two concerns were an issue. This included such diverse uses as construction materials for homes to boiler rooms in navy ships to insulation in oil refineries to brake pads on cars and, well, you get the idea.
The only problem is asbestos fibers are incredibly toxic to the human body. It was alleged that the manufactures creating asbestos products knew as much. Whether they did or did not was a matter litigated in the courts for decades. What did become clear is asbestos fibers that were inhaled or swallowed often resulted in Mesothelioma cancer diagnosis. Ultimately, a partial asbestos ban was put in place on July 21, 1989.
So, has the ban worked? Is asbestos no longer found in work places or products? Is the scourge over now that 20 years have passed? Not a chance. First off, most people don’t realize the asbestos ban of 1989 was partially overturned by an appellate court in 1991. As a result, asbestos is now banned in “new uses”, which basically means new products. Its use is also banned in flooring felt, rollboard, and corrugated, commercial, or specialty paper, but that is it.
Practically speaking, asbestos use has dropped dramatically since any product associated with the material is a bit difficult to market. Still, old and new distributions are still causing major tragedies. The current estimate is over 10,000 people a year will die from Mesothelioma a year for at least the next three decades. To give you a matter of perspective, this is about three times the number of people who drown a year.
Is the asbestos-Mesothelioma scourge over? Sadly, the answer is that it is not.
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