Occupational Burden of Asbestos-related Cancer in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico
Background: An estimate at the national level of the occupational cancer burden brought about by the industrial use of <a title="Learn more about Asbestos" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/asbestos">asbestos</a> requires detailed routi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Ubiquity Press
2014-11-01
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| Series: | Annals of Global Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/2055 |
| _version_ | 1823969394467799040 |
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| author | Roberto Pasetto Benedetto Terracini Daniela Marsili Pietro Comba |
| author_facet | Roberto Pasetto Benedetto Terracini Daniela Marsili Pietro Comba |
| author_sort | Roberto Pasetto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: An estimate at the national level of the occupational cancer burden brought about by the industrial use of <a title="Learn more about Asbestos" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/asbestos">asbestos</a> requires detailed routine information on such uses as well as on vital statistics of good quality. A causal association with asbestos exposure has been established for <a title="Learn more about Mesothelioma" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/mesothelioma">mesothelioma</a> and cancers of the lung, <a title="Learn more about Larynx" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/larynx">larynx</a>, and ovary. Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide estimates of the occupational burden of asbestos-related cancer for the Latin American countries that are or have been the highest asbestos consumers in the region: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. Methods: The burden of multifactorial cancers has been estimated through the approach suggested for the World Health Organization using the population attributable fraction. The following data were used: • Proportion of workforce employed in each economic sector • Proportion of workers exposed to asbestos in each sector • Occupational turnover • Levels of exposure • Proportion of the population in the workforce • Relative risk for each considered disease for 1 or more levels of exposure Data on the proportion of workers exposed to asbestos in each sector are not available for Latin American countries; therefore, data from the European CAREX database (carcinogen exposure database) were used. Findings: Using mortality data of the World Health Organization Health Statistics database for the year 2009 and applying the estimated values for population attributable fractions, the number of estimated deaths in 5 years for mesothelioma and for lung, larynx, and ovary cancers attributable to occupational asbestos exposures, were respectively 735, 233, 29, and 14 for Argentina; 340, 611, 68, and 43 for Brazil; 255, 97, 14, and 9 for Colombia, and 1075, 219, 18, and 22 for Mexico. Conclusions: The limitations in compiling the estimates highlight the need for improvement in the quality of asbestos-related environmental and health data. Nevertheless, the figures are already usable to promote a ban on asbestos use. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T18:56:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-229b12b740534f568adcafc82be04f91 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2214-9996 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T18:56:36Z |
| publishDate | 2014-11-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Annals of Global Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-229b12b740534f568adcafc82be04f912022-12-21T21:36:16ZengUbiquity PressAnnals of Global Health2214-99962014-11-0180426326810.1016/j.aogh.2014.09.0031953Occupational Burden of Asbestos-related Cancer in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and MexicoRoberto Pasetto0Benedetto Terracini1Daniela Marsili2Pietro Comba3Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, ItalyUniversity of Turin, (Retired), Turin, ItalyIstituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, ItalyIstituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, ItalyBackground: An estimate at the national level of the occupational cancer burden brought about by the industrial use of <a title="Learn more about Asbestos" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/asbestos">asbestos</a> requires detailed routine information on such uses as well as on vital statistics of good quality. A causal association with asbestos exposure has been established for <a title="Learn more about Mesothelioma" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/mesothelioma">mesothelioma</a> and cancers of the lung, <a title="Learn more about Larynx" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/larynx">larynx</a>, and ovary. Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide estimates of the occupational burden of asbestos-related cancer for the Latin American countries that are or have been the highest asbestos consumers in the region: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. Methods: The burden of multifactorial cancers has been estimated through the approach suggested for the World Health Organization using the population attributable fraction. The following data were used: • Proportion of workforce employed in each economic sector • Proportion of workers exposed to asbestos in each sector • Occupational turnover • Levels of exposure • Proportion of the population in the workforce • Relative risk for each considered disease for 1 or more levels of exposure Data on the proportion of workers exposed to asbestos in each sector are not available for Latin American countries; therefore, data from the European CAREX database (carcinogen exposure database) were used. Findings: Using mortality data of the World Health Organization Health Statistics database for the year 2009 and applying the estimated values for population attributable fractions, the number of estimated deaths in 5 years for mesothelioma and for lung, larynx, and ovary cancers attributable to occupational asbestos exposures, were respectively 735, 233, 29, and 14 for Argentina; 340, 611, 68, and 43 for Brazil; 255, 97, 14, and 9 for Colombia, and 1075, 219, 18, and 22 for Mexico. Conclusions: The limitations in compiling the estimates highlight the need for improvement in the quality of asbestos-related environmental and health data. Nevertheless, the figures are already usable to promote a ban on asbestos use.https://annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/2055asbestosburden of diseaseLatin Americaneoplasmsoccupation |
| spellingShingle | Roberto Pasetto Benedetto Terracini Daniela Marsili Pietro Comba Occupational Burden of Asbestos-related Cancer in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico Annals of Global Health asbestos burden of disease Latin America neoplasms occupation |
| title | Occupational Burden of Asbestos-related Cancer in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico |
| title_full | Occupational Burden of Asbestos-related Cancer in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Occupational Burden of Asbestos-related Cancer in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Occupational Burden of Asbestos-related Cancer in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico |
| title_short | Occupational Burden of Asbestos-related Cancer in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico |
| title_sort | occupational burden of asbestos related cancer in argentina brazil colombia and mexico |
| topic | asbestos burden of disease Latin America neoplasms occupation |
| url | https://annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/2055 |
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