Understanding a Man-Made Epidemic: The Relation between Historical Asbestos Consumption and Mesothelioma Mortality in Belgium | Zendy

Laura Van den Borre | Zendy; Patrick Deboosere | Zendy

Open Access

Understanding a Man-Made Epidemic: The Relation between Historical Asbestos Consumption and Mesothelioma Mortality in Belgium

Author(s) -

Laura Van den Borre,

Patrick Deboosere

Publication year - 2018

Publication title -

tseg/ low countries journal of social and economic history

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 0.183

H-Index - 12

eISSN - 2468-9068

pISSN - 1572-1701

DOI - 10.18352/tseg.989

Subject(s) - asbestos , mesothelioma , government (linguistics) , consumption (sociology) , environmental health , asbestosis , politics , chrysotile , economic interventionism , public health , political science , economic growth , medicine , law , economics , sociology , pathology , social science , linguistics , philosophy , materials science , metallurgy

This article discusses (i) the history of asbestos use between 1948 and 2001; (ii) the development of the current epidemic of mesothelioma deaths (1969-2014); and (iii) reasons for the belated government intervention in Belgium. Belgium imported over two billion tonnes of raw asbestos from 1948 until 1998. The current peak in male mesothelioma deaths corresponds to the expansion of the asbestos industry 40 years earlier. Reasons for the delayed government intervention include long latency periods of asbestos-related diseases, faulty communication about health risks, a strong asbestos lobby and an ambivalent government. Public health was sacrificed in favour of industrial development, economic advancement and political gain. The Belgian case further underlines the need for a global ban on asbestos.

The content you want is available to Zendy users.

Already have an account? Click here to sign in.

Having issues? You can contact us here

Accelerating Research