Today I am delighted to publish a guest post on asbestos and human health, and their links to the environment. The post is by James O’Shea, content editor of www.maacenter.org. James K. Bashkin (Site Publisher and Editor; the guest post is the opinion of its author).
The processing of fossil fuels has a long trail of consequences, with some being more obvious than others. There are essentially two tiers of negative ramifications to backwards energy policies. The first of these are the direct environmental consequences of the burning of fossil, which has been well documented in recent years with the recent interest in the effects of global warming. However, the second tier are the human health effects associated with the burning of fossil fuels.
Some of human health effects associated with fossil fuels are more obvious than others. In South Africa and Australia, the ozone is among the most depleted of anywhere on the planet. It is no surprise then that in these countries skin cancer rates are the highest in the world. UV rays, which pierce the depleted atmosphere are to blame for this (Editor’s note: see the comment from dragonmage06, and my response below, for a discussion of this paragraph).
Then there are the more indirect costs, and specifically those which are associated with the industry itself. Working conditions in the fossil fuel industry are among the most hazardous of any occupation. One of the hazards workers will encounter is asbestos, which has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission as a known carcinogen. And even though asbestos was banned by the CPSC in the late 1970’s, older asbestos fixtures still exist within nearly all facets of the fossil fuel infrastructure. These older and sometimes damaged fixtures pose and even greater hazard to human health.
When microscopic asbestos fibers are inhaled, they lodge themselves in the lining of lungs. This lays the groundwork for the deadly asbestos cancer, mesothelioma. Perhaps it should come as no coincidence then that rates of pleural cancer (mesothelioma) in oil refinery workers are among the highest of any occupation.
What we begin to see then, is that there are effects of ozone depletion and fossil fuel use and processing, that are detrimental not only to the planet, but also to human health. When the world opens its eyes to the crisis we’re supporting, we’ll not only have sustained the future for our children, but also saved lives.
References:
Environmental Protection Agency
Occupational Medicine 2007 (an Oxford Journal), Mortality of UK Oil Refinery Workers and Petroleum Distribution Workers 1951-2003, by Tom Sorahan, Institute of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Birmingham.
Follow-up comment and my answer from my external blog:
I am grateful to a reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, for the following additional information sent after I posted this article:
Asbestos is still imported and used in the U.S. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007; see this PDF file from the USGS, please click only if you want to download the PDF. Also, the U.S. House of Representatives is considering a bill H.R. 6903 The Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act to ban the future importation and use of asbestos (it is already banned in 40 countries) and provide funding for medical research into effective treatments for asbestos-related diseases. Also, around the 2007 Christmas season, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization had some household products, such as duct tape, and toys tested and found they contained asbestos. See Ban Asbestos.
Find more of my external posts on the environment at the following blogs and sites:
Chemistry for a sustainable world
Sustainability and the environment
Blogcritics magazine (also a mix of book reviews and environmental articles
rate
email
print
link to this page
October 11, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Just for further knowledge, which part of the burning of fossil fuels effects ozone depletion? I thought it was CFLs that did that, from things like aerosols and air conditioning. Are fossil fuels also a source?
October 12, 2008 at 11:53 am
None that I am aware of. Burning fossil fuels by cars creates ozone at the surface of the earth, having no effect on ozone levels far above the earth’s surface, but causing respiratory ailments in many people. There are some very weak links between global warming and ozone depletion, according to Wikipedia. For example: warm temperatures in the arctic decrease the ozone hole! You can see more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_depletion, but none of this is related to fossil fuels.
The guest post is the opinion of the guest author.