TY - JOUR
T1 - How conflicted authors undermine the World Health Organization (WHO) campaign to stop all use of asbestos
T2 - Spotlight on studies showing that chrysotile is carcinogenic and facilitates other non-cancer asbestos-related diseases
AU - Baur, X
AU - SOSKOLNE, Colin
AU - Lemen, R
AU - Schneider, J
AU - Woitowitz, H
AU - Budnik, L
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - The silicate mineral asbestos is categorized into two main groups based on fiber structure: serpentine asbestos (chrysotile) and amphibole asbestos (crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite). Chrysotile is used in more than 2 000 applications and is especially prevalent in the construction industry. Although its use is banned or restricted in more than 52 countries, an estimated 107 000 workers die from asbestos exposure each year, and approximately 125 million workers continue to be exposed. Furthermore, ambient exposures persist to which the public is exposed, globally. Today, the primary controversies regarding the use of asbestos are the potencies of different types of asbestos, as opposed whether or not asbestos causes morbidity and mortality. The asbestos industry has promoted and funded research based on selected literature, ignoring both clinical and scientific knowledge. In this piece, we highlight a prominent example of a conflicted publication that sought to undermine the World Health Organization (WHO) campaign to stop the use of all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile asbestos. Independent and rigorous scientific data provide sufficient evidence that chrysotile asbestos, like other forms of asbestos, is a cause of asbestos-related morbidity and premature mortality.
AB - The silicate mineral asbestos is categorized into two main groups based on fiber structure: serpentine asbestos (chrysotile) and amphibole asbestos (crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite). Chrysotile is used in more than 2 000 applications and is especially prevalent in the construction industry. Although its use is banned or restricted in more than 52 countries, an estimated 107 000 workers die from asbestos exposure each year, and approximately 125 million workers continue to be exposed. Furthermore, ambient exposures persist to which the public is exposed, globally. Today, the primary controversies regarding the use of asbestos are the potencies of different types of asbestos, as opposed whether or not asbestos causes morbidity and mortality. The asbestos industry has promoted and funded research based on selected literature, ignoring both clinical and scientific knowledge. In this piece, we highlight a prominent example of a conflicted publication that sought to undermine the World Health Organization (WHO) campaign to stop the use of all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile asbestos. Independent and rigorous scientific data provide sufficient evidence that chrysotile asbestos, like other forms of asbestos, is a cause of asbestos-related morbidity and premature mortality.
KW - Asbestos related diseases
KW - Chrysotile
KW - Conflict-of interests
KW - Lung cancer
KW - WHO campaign to end all use of asbestos
KW - White asbestos
KW - Lung Diseases/chemically induced
KW - World Health Organization
KW - Asbestos, Serpentine/toxicity
KW - Risk Assessment
KW - Humans
KW - Occupational Exposure/adverse effects
KW - Conflict of Interest
KW - Occupational Diseases/chemically induced
KW - Industry
KW - Animals
KW - Carcinogens/toxicity
KW - Causality
KW - Research Design
KW - white asbestos
KW - conflict-of interests
KW - chrysotile
KW - lung cancer
KW - asbestos related diseases
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84937114041&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/2049396714Y.0000000105
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/conflicted-authors-undermine-world-health-organization-campaign-stop-asbestos-spotlight-studies-show
U2 - 10.1179/2049396714Y.0000000105
DO - 10.1179/2049396714Y.0000000105
M3 - Article
SN - 1077-3525
VL - 21
SP - 176
EP - 179
JO - International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
JF - International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
IS - 2
ER -