Abstract
This article discusses (i) the history of asbestos use between 1948 and 2001; (ii) the development of the current epidemic of mesothelioma deaths (1969-2014); and (iii) reasons for the belated government intervention in Belgium. Belgium imported over two billion tonnes of raw asbestos from 1948 until 1998. The current peak in male mesothelioma deaths corresponds to the expansion of the asbestos industry 40 years earlier. Reasons for the delayed government intervention include long latency periods of asbestos-related diseases, faulty communication about health risks, a strong asbestos lobby and an ambivalent government. Public health was sacrificed in favour of industrial development, economic advancement and political gain. The Belgian case further underlines the need for a global ban on asbestos.
Highlights
Belgium became a major international supplier of asbestos products in the aftermath of the Second World War.[1]
The current peak in male mesothelioma deaths corresponds to the expansion of the asbestos industry 40 years earlier
South-Africa uniquely produced five out of six types of asbestos but amosite and crocidolite dominated production in 1938-1982.25 Vande Weyer mentions the use of crocidolite from South-Africa in 1953-1972.26 South-Africa ended all amosite production and stopped exporting crocidolite to Belgium in 1992.27 we infer that the large majority of Belgian asbestos manufacturing was based on chrysotile asbestos
Summary
Belgium became a major international supplier of asbestos products in the aftermath of the Second World War.[1]. All minerals were imported from the beginnings of the Belgian asbestos industries in the late nineteenth century.[14] Asbestos products manufacturing experienced its first powerful impetus with the need for rapid reconstruction after the First World War. After a brief period of high output, the Second World War caused manufacturing to grind to a halt.[15] How asbestos transitioned from magic mineral to a major public health concern is demonstrated in the annual import and export records. Historical consumption data were derived from the annual statistics on foreign trade from 1948 to 1998, with the exception of unavailable data in 1995.16 Import and export information on raw asbestos and asbestos-containing products were consulted.
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