Asbestos News

Asbestos is still being utilized as a building material in a number of countries around the world, and experts in Africa's United Republic of Tanzania recently issued a warning about inhaling the dangerous mineral fibers.

According to the Citizen, the experts have said that residents of Unga Limited, a suburb in Arusha, could be at risk of inhaling the particles in dust emanating from garages in the area. The news source reports that building materials containing asbestos are often crushed in the suburb.

Anyambilile Mwakatole, an industrial chemist, told local reporters that a number of local residents living near such factories had likely been exposed to the carcinogen, which can cause lung cancer, asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer that attacks the tissues surrounding a majority of the body's internal organs.

Mwakatole added that dust containing asbestos particles can be released into the environment while repairs are being performed on everyday products such as refrigerators and roofing materials.

With asbestos still being exported to developing countries, and many people only beginning to suffer the effects of related illnesses - some decades after initial exposure - the World Health Organization estimates that 107,000 people around the world each year succumb to asbestos-related diseases.