Premium
South African asbestos: Production, exports, and destinations, 1959–1993
Author(s) -
Harington John S.,
McGlashan Neil D.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199804)33:4<321::aid-ajim2>3.0.co;2-x
Subject(s) - asbestos , chrysotile , medicine , legislation , international trade , environmental health , business , political science , law , materials science , metallurgy
Production and export figures of South African asbestos were analyzed over 1959–1993. They show stable sales of chrysotile. Those of crocidolite and amosite reached their peaks in the mid‐1970s, after which trade fell drastically, crocidolite to 5% of its earlier peak and amosite to nil. Factors responsible for these virtual collapses were health issues, stricter legislation in First World countries, and litigation. In 1992, 21 countries continued to import crocidolite, although in reduced quantities. In the early 1960s, Europe and North America were the major recipients of South African asbestos. By 1989–91, these regions were surpassed by the Far East, which took over 90% of chrysotile and 70% of amosite. For crocidolite at that time, the Middle East took nearly 40%, Europe 28%, and Africa 21%. This implies that the newly importing countries can confidently expect an increase in asbestos‐related disease and death well into the twenty‐first century, even if the trade ceased now. Am. J. Ind. Med. 33:321–326, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.