Mesothelioma Research

A recent article in a medical journal warns that Asian countries will soon pay a heavy price for their use of asbestos.

According to an article in Respirology, which is from the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, Asian countries' share of asbestos use has skyrocketed in recent years. The article says that Asia accounted for 64 percent of the world's asbestos consumption in the period from 2001 to 2007, compared to the 14 percent they used from 1920 to 1970.

"Despite concerns of the global ARD epidemic and Asia's growing importance in the world, data on current asbestos use and asbestos-related diseases in Asia remain limited," Dr. Ken Takahashi, acting director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Occupational Health, said.

Asbestos exposure often results in serious illnesses such as lung cancer, asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer that attacks the thin membrane that lines the chest, abdomen and many of the body's internal organs.

Takahashi and his colleagues reportedly gathered data from 47 different countries while researching their article.

The WHO estimates that asbestos-related illnesses claim the lives of 107,000 people each year around the world.