M10.8 Occupationally-Related Disease

I chose to research Asbestosis (white lung).
The first case to be described in medical literature was in 1924 in England, when a textile worker died because of asbestos exposure. In the United States, Section 112 of the Clean Air Act of 1970 was the first to include asbestos as an air pollutant. The Toxic Substances Control Act has since forbidden many applications of the chemical. In 1988, the United States Environmental Protection Agency implemented regulations that required that companies report the asbestos used in their products. To this day, the Environmental Protection Agency has no general ban on the use of asbestos despite the overwhelming evidence of the harmful effects it has on human health. According to the Environmental Working Group Action Fund, over 10,000 people die each year from asbestos-caused diseases including asbestosis. 


Comments

  1. Sandy TanNovember 1, 2018 at 10:56 AM

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  2. Sandy TanNovember 1, 2018 at 10:58 AM

    Hi Hugo,
    It is disappointing to know that the EPA has no ban on asbestos even though there is evidence of the harmful effects. So many deaths would have been prevented if the agency enacted a ban and I am very curious why they aren't doing so.

    ReplyDelete
  3. USF MPH ClassNovember 16, 2018 at 6:20 PM

    Hi,
    That is truly amazing! No ban. So, what are we doing with new products? Do they still use some form of it? This absolutely has to change and I am shocked PH experts at the EPA have not banned it. Dan

    ReplyDelete

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