Countries that have consumed more asbestos have historically had higher mortality rates from asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) than countries with lower asbestos consumption. A research letter in this issue by Rath et al. provides a 15-y update on evidence for this link and uses this evidence to support calls for a worldwide ban on the use of asbestos. We find their results convincing, and we agree with the urgent need to stop producing and using asbestos. For those who might be skeptical of this conclusion or who are considering how much weight to give this evidence, we offer this perspective as occupational/environmental epidemiologists.
This document was originally published in Environmental Health Perspectives by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Copyright restrictions may apply. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11362
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/douglas-myers/12/