The Asbestos Industry’s Exploitation of People and Countries in Africa

Asbestos Mining and Processing in Southern Africa Injured Workers, Residents and the Environment. 

The Asbestos Industry Tried to Cover Up Studies Showing Asbestos Exposure Causes Carcinomas Like Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma.

Asbestos is a mineral made of silicate nature and fibrous features. This natural mineral can be sub-categorized into six forms: chrysotile/white asbestos, amosite/brown asbestos, crocidolite/blue asbestos, tremolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite. The first three types are more commonly used than the latter three.

What Exactly Is Asbestos?

Asbestos, since the inception of its discovery dating back over 1000 years ago, has been of economic interest. It has been used in manufacturing various products like building materials (i.e., ceilings, tiles, cement materials, gaskets and coatings), and was included for years in wall insulation, vinyl floor tiles, textured paint and patching compounds, heat resistance fabrics, and more.

Asbestos Use Has Been Banned In Many Places, But Asbestos Products and the Legacy of Its Industry Remains.

According to the National Institute of Health, the use of asbestos culminated between the late 1960s and early 1970s. This period highlighted the use of the mineral to produce over 3000 industrial products across manufacturing industries.

Despite the extensive use of asbestos in manufacturing, it has been reported to be a hazardous substance. Inhaling asbestos fibers increases the risks of various fatal diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Asbestos contains tiny fibrils which could be released into the air through various processes, including scraping, wearing, rubbing, or scuffling.

National Cancer Institute: No Safe Level of Asbestos Exposure

The National Cancer Institute claims that everyone is exposed to asbestos at certain times in their lives as low levels of the substance could be present in water, air, and soil. Yet, this minimal exposure is not enough to cause harm to a person. Those at risk of asbestos-related illnesses are regularly exposed to it. For example, employees in fields where they closely work with the substance are at high risk of exposure, and their family members are also at risk.

The first official case of a lung disease which was documented to have been caused by asbestos fumes was reported in a British medical journal. An autopsy by Dr. William Edmund Cooke was carried out on a woman, Nellie Kershaw, who had worked for 17 years in an asbestos textile factory. Subsequent studies exposed a pattern of premature deaths associated with asbestos workers.

According to a Los Angeles Times publication (“The Cruel Saga of Asbestos Disease” by Paul Brodeur), many asbestos manufacturers had full knowledge of the dangers and health implications, yet they withheld this information from their workers, stakeholders, and the public.

When asbestos use was at its peak, Africa became one of the primary sources of worldwide asbestos distribution. 

Unfortunately, much of Africa’s asbestos history is wrought with scandal, cover-ups, and indifference towards public health. The lack of regulation in the exploitation of asbestos exacerbated harm to miners, other workers and their families. It also led to environmental contamination, and the communities close to asbestos mines and processing plants were exposed to deadly fibers.

History of Asbestos in South Africa

South Africa’s economy was dependent on mining in the 1970s. With a global reputation as the world’s leading producer of gold, South Africa was also the world’s third leading producer of asbestos. Many of the three major types of asbestos were mined for commercial purposes. These included chrysotile/white asbestos, amosite/brown asbestos, and crocidolite/blue asbestos, and much of the mined minerals were exported. The stock that remained was used to manufacture products like cement materials and roofing sheets.

Several studies have been conducted by Dr. J. C. Wagner concerning the harmful effects of exposure to blue asbestos, which causes mesothelioma. While it can take decades for individuals to start noticing symptoms, many patients are reported to pass away a year or less after diagnosis. 

Due to the severe health dangers of asbestos, over 50 countries have banned its use. As a result, the global market for the substance crashed. This minimized the operations of asbestos minerals in the world – South Africa included. In 2008, the South African government passed a law to ban asbestos use. Yet, despite a decline in use since the ban, South Africa is said to have the highest rate of mesothelioma in the world.

History of Asbestos in Zimbabwe (Formerly ‘Rhodesia’)

Rhodesia-Zimbabwe, also nicknamed “Zhobabwe” as a blend of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe, was a short-lived de-facto sovereign state from June to December 1979. Prior to British colonialism, this region, located in modern Zimbabwe, was home to the Bantu speakers who first arrived over 2000 years ago, and were skilled in ceramics and pottery.

Asbestos Mining in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) Was Marked By Unsafe Conditions and Health Hazards

By the 20th century, Zimbabwe was also a large asbestos producer, although its fiber grade was of low quality. Chrysotile/white asbestos was found in 1906 at Bulawayo, yet there seemed to be little to no commercial interest in the fibrous mineral. Then, in 1915, mining activities for asbestos reignited when the Rhodesians regained authority over the industry. The majority of the mining work was carried out by hand, and insufficient fuel supply to power machinery caused these mines to struggle and lag in productivity. To avoid financial losses and bankruptcy, the industry relied on cheap labor and minimal welfare and medical insurance spending.

Zimbabwe does not have legislation in place concerning the use of asbestos, but in 1985, the highest limit of chrysotile dust permitted was set at 2 fibers for 1 milliliter over a period of 4 hours. During the colonialism period in the 1920s, a large number of deaths resulted from mining accidents and diseases. Despite the death toll, the regulatory authorities at that time blamed it on the carelessness of the workers rather than on external factors, such as asbestos exposure.

Despite doctors’ health concerns about asbestos through the British Commonwealth, little was done to protect people living in its colonies, particularly in Africa.

In 1938, the government carried out a research project studying pneumonoconiosis. Pneumonoconiosis is a lung disease caused by inhaling dangerous dust particles. A ten-page report on asbestos was written afterward, but few actions were taken to protect workers and others living near asbestos mines. 

Turner & Newall

One of the first asbestos companies was England-based Turner & Newall. The company had several asbestos mines in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Nellie Kershaw, who passed away from exposure at the age of 33, worked as a spinner at Turner Brothers Asbestos Company (later Turner & Newall). She had noticed symptoms four years before her passing and filed a lawsuit (the first of its kind) against the company. Although Dr. Cooke said that Kershaw’s illness was related to “asbestos poisoning” and would later testify as much in a case, asbestos-related illnesses were not yet recognized. Therefore, her employer stopped her insurance company from accepting liability and the company would not compensate her or her family in any way.

Labor Leaders and Attorneys Helped Call the Asbestos Industry to Account.

In 1966, Turner & Newall dock workers in London went on strike, refusing to load South African crocidolite. They claimed that the company was covering up the dangers of asbestos exposure and they refused to continue being subject to it. Then, in 1995, the company was again sued by the Chase Manhattan Bank. The claim was for the removal of asbestos in the bank’s walls. The bank also stated that the asbestos company knew about its dangers and yet it did nothing.

Asbestos in Bulembu, Eswatini (Formerly ‘Swaziland’)

How British Company Turner & Newall Turned Eswatini (Swaziland) into an African Asbestos Colony

Bulembu is a small town located in the northern region of Swaziland. This town was an active operation zone for chrysotile mining between 1939 and 2001. It was popularly known as Havelock Mine and was one of the largest asbestos producers worldwide in the 1960s. Bulembu produced approximately 42 000 tons of asbestos minerals at the height of its asbestos operation in 1976. Turner & Newall was an affiliate company managing the affairs of the mine.

In 1991, Turner & Newall was hit with compensation claims from South African and British lawyers regarding alleged evidence of work dangers in its factories and mines. 

The company eventually went bankrupt as it struggled financially trying to pay out these claims and could not make ends meet as the demand for asbestos decreased drastically.

Bulembu residents gradually evacuated the town, leaving it as a dumping site for asbestos that still is an area of concern today. Dr. Samuel Magagula, director of the ministry of health in Swaziland, stated that any dangers asbestos posed to residents of Bulembu was never brought to the attention of the Parliament. He also claimed that Swaziland holds no policy limiting environmental asbestos, yet if the policy was made, it would follow the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The history of asbestos use in Africa exposes the corruption of colonial manufacturing companies who hid information about its danger from workers and the public at large. It unveils an unlawful compromise of workers’ health at the expense of greedy production quotas and the trading of asbestos for economic gain. Despite the ban of asbestos use in many countries today, illegal operations resulting in mining and using asbestos for manufacturing still occur – just not as much. Past and present workers continue to be diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses and the devastating aftermath of years of manufacturing can still be felt today.

Controlling Exposure Risk

Diseases caused by asbestos exposure have increased substantially throughout the years. Yet many of these are preventable. There are ways to limit exposure and protect the lives, including:

1.      Increased awareness: 

Not everyone is aware of the extensive infiltration of asbestos into everyday life, or the health hazards caused by exposure. Programs should be integrated into workplaces, schools, and other venues in order to educate the public about preventive measures.

2.      Workplace safety measures: 

Measures put into place to protect workers from exposure should be strictly adhered to, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and methods for ridding clothing of asbestos fibers before returning home.

3.      Access to adequate healthcare: 

Workers should be offered insurance by their employers so they can obtain adequate healthcare and receive an exam by their provider should symptoms appear.  Any detection of asbestos-related illnesses should be made in the early stages, so these conditions are easier to treat.

4.      Minimizing at-home exposure risk: 

Consumers should stay up to date on where asbestos could be lurking in their homes as well as in the household products that they use. Federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regularly post warnings concerning the sources and dangers of exposure.

McCulloch, J. (2003). Asbestos Mining and Occupational Disease in Southern Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, 1915-98. History Workshop Journal, 56, 131–152. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4289862.

Wagner JC. The discovery of the association between blue asbestos and mesotheliomas and the aftermath. Br J Ind Med. 1991 Jun;48(6):399-403. doi: 10.1136/oem.48.6.399. PMID: 2064978; PMCID: PMC1035386.