Asbestos Imports and Exports: What’s Changing?

When you think about asbestos, you probably think first about a material that has been banned from use due to the many risks to human health that it poses. And, to be sure, asbestos is used far less frequently than it was a couple of generations ago – but that doesn’t mean that it has been banned entirely. 

Asbestos continues to be used in the United States in specific, highly-regulated applications. And, around the world, it is still used more liberally, leading to many health concerns as products are imported and exported and the fibers have an opportunity to spread and expose people to harm. 

On this page, we’d like to look at the current status of asbestos around the globe and what changes might be coming up in the next few years. Hopefully, the rules and restrictions will only continue to get stricter, and people will be further protected from the harms of asbestos exposure. 

Why Did Asbestos Use Need to be Restricted?

Before we get into what the current status of asbestos limitations and bans around the world, it’s worthwhile to review why asbestos is dangerous and why it should be outlawed in as many places as possible. Although the general public is largely aware that asbestos is harmful, many people don’t know exactly what it is or why it has been able to hurt so many unsuspecting people. 

¿Qué es exactamente el asbesto?

The term asbestos refers to a naturally occurring group of minerals that began to be used for manufacturing purposes relatively early in the twentieth century. As these minerals are naturally occurring and can be mined relatively easily, it seemed like this was a huge win for many industrial projects. After all, it wouldn’t necessarily be expected that something occurring in nature – and not a man-made chemical – would be so dangerous to human health. 

As it turns out, however, that’s exactly what it is. The problem with asbestos fibers actually comes back to the substance’s greatest strength – extreme durability. These fibers will last indefinitely, so when they are inhaled and make their way into the respiratory system, they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Over the years, the presence of these tiny fibers in the lungs and surrounding areas is likely to cause tissue damage, and very serious health consequences can result. Of those, mesotelioma – a form of cancer directly tied to exposure – is the most serious, as it is almost always fatal within a short time after it is diagnosed. 

For many decades, the asbestos industry put its profits ahead of health and safety of its employees and customers.

From the beginning of the twentieth century, the asbestos industry had reports from British doctors that asbestos posed significant health problems and that thousands of asbestos workers were showing a new kinds of breathing problems, believed to be connected to their inhalation of asbestos dust.

Many asbestos workers would go on to develop painful, debilitating and even fatal health problems from asbestos exposure. But from its earliest days, asbestos companies made a practice of claiming that asbestos was safe and denying employees compensation.

The Current State of Asbestos Bans

In terms of the current situation related to asbestos and its use around the world, we can start with some good news – it is already completely banned for any type of use in 55 countries. Among those are some relatively large nations like Australia, Argentina, Spain, United Kingdom, and Korea. These countries have established stringent legislation to remove the possibility of asbestos use and to make sure no further asbestos-related harm is done. In many cases, otros materiales have been found to be suitable replacements, and while those might not be quite as effective as what asbestos can deliver, they are far safer and can still get the job done. 

Unfortunately, not all countries have banned asbestos.

Unfortunately, there are some names notably absent from the list of locations above that are among the largest manufacturers in the world. Specifically, asbestos is still permitted for some uses in China, India, Russia, and yes, the United States. Many people in the U.S. think that asbestos is banned, but that is not actually the case. Its use is heavily restricted and subject to plenty of safety regulations, but it’s still used in certain industries. 

Over the last two decades, there have been plenty of efforts to ban asbestos in the United States, but none of these efforts have made it all the way through the legislative process to successfully change the law. There have been some that have passed one half of the legislative review process but not the other. However, there is a ban on mining asbestos in the U.S., so no workers are being exposed to it in that environment. 

Will there be a global ban of asbestos?

It’s hard to say if any momentum will be gained in the coming years to achieve a total ban in the United States or in some of the other large industrial countries of the world. As is so often the case, these things usually come down to having the right amount of money in place behind the measure. And, since the use of asbestos is already regulated heavily – even though it is not banned outright – it doesn’t seem likely that a successful push to make a change will be coming up anytime soon. 

How Asbestos Remains a Threat

Although asbestos has not been completely prohibió in the United States, it is safe to say that the threat of harm today is far lower than it was a generation or two ago. There are fewer places in which an individual can be exposed, and in those places, significant security measures are in place to limit the damage that could be done. 

Asbestos is still out there in many buildings.

With that said, there are still other ways that asbestos can be a threat to humans. One of the most common ongoing threats is exposure during a home renovation or remodeling project. There is plenty of asbestos still locked away in countless houses around the country, as asbestos-containing materials were commonly used in residential construction for years. 

Left alone, this asbestos is contained and does not pose a threat. Things inside houses are not always left alone, however. Sometimes, homeowners decide to take on renovation projects, and when that happens, the asbestos-containing materials could be disturbed. 

As asbestos products are disturbed, they have the ability to release fibers into the air, which could then be inhaled by anyone in the area. So, over time, as more and more older houses are renovated, more and more people have the potential to be harmed. 

That doesn’t mean no houses can ever be renovated, however. When done safely, with the right asbestos abatement measures in place, it is possible to do a renovation on a space with asbestos-containing materials and not put anyone in danger. It’s all about bringing in the right help to address the situation professionally and in accordance with all modern safety standards. 

Understanding the Timeline

The timeline that is often associated with asbestos diseases is one of the many points of confusion on this topic. Unlike plenty of other harmful situations in life, exposure to asbestos is something that will usually only lead to illness decades later. So, although an individual has been exposed, and the damage is sure to be done over time, no symptoms may appear until well after the fact. 

Are your breathing problems related to asbestos exposure as a child?

It’s important for as many people as possible to understand this fact because too many individuals with seemingly minor health problems won’t consider that asbestos exposure may have played a role. Asbestos-related disease can present as various types of respiratory problems, but since the person hasn’t been in a situation around asbestos for a very long time, they might not even think to consider that those fibers could be at the heart of the matter. Without this concern, testing and treatment are likely to be delayed, and it will be harder to have successful outcomes later on. 

Also, knowing what the timeline looks like for asbestos exposure, one may also be more likely to seek compensation that they fairly deserve. Again, it comes back to making the accurate connection and understanding that an illness is due to long ago exposure. Knowing that it can take a long time for the signs of asbestos disease to show up, a person will be more likely to make that connection for themselves or for a loved one. Then, pursuing legal action in the form of a trust claim or lawsuit can help to offset the inevitable financial burden of being diagnosed. 

Checking a Home for Asbestos

As we talked about above, asbestos that remains in the home is one of the biggest threats to health from these minerals that remains in the modern world. With that in mind, going through an asbestos audit is a worthwhile idea to make sure there are no threats lurking that a homeowner is unaware of at the time of renovation. One can’t see asbestos with the naked eye, and it doesn’t have a smell, so a professional audit with proper equipment is the only way to go about this correctly. 

Asbestos-tainted products and materials from overseas

Even though imports and exports of asbestos are now highly controlled, that doesn’t mean that the substance doesn’t make its way into the U.S. inadvertently through products that are poorly regulated in other countries. Examples include materiales de arte, maquillaje, e incluso dental products. At this point, the greatest risk of exposure from these kinds of products comes through imported goods that may not have as strict of regulations in place as products that are manufactured in the United States. Without the proper procedures in place in third-world countries to detect the presence of asbestos, these products continue to be a notable threat. 

Air pollution is another often-overlooked concern. This is something that is usually associated with an outdoor threat, but it’s just as possible – and even more likely – that a person will face risks from air pollution inside their home and in other buildings. Indoor air is trapped, and even if it is put through an HVAC system, it still might not be completely safe to breathe. That is particularly true if asbestos has been released into the air and is circulating throughout a home for everyone to breathe in. This kind of exposure is extremely dangerous and could very well lead to major health consequences down the line. 

Direct Exposure is Not the Only Danger

Unfortunately, it’s not only people who are exposed directly to asbestos that may be at risk. Secondhand exposure is also dangerous, and it can wind up leading to the same negative health outcomes over the long run as firsthand exposure. Of course, there is a matter of quantity to be considered here, so someone who is exposed secondhand might not face the same degree of risk, but there is still some risk there nonetheless. 

Secondary asbestos exposure (Second-hand asbestos exposure / Family asbestos exposure)

For example, if a parent worked in a facility that would have exposed them to asbestos a generation ago, their children (now grown adults) may already be suffering from symptoms of an asbestos-related disease. This is because fibers were commonly carried into the home afterhours. Moreover, since poorly regulated products continue to make their way into the U.S. and asbestos is still cleared for use in some industries (such as automobile manufacturing), continued secondhand exposure could still be prevalent. 

Have You or a Loved One Been Harmed?

If you believe that yourself or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos in the past and may now be dealing with the health consequences as a result, don’t wait any longer to take action. It’s important to pursue all of your options to make sure you have the opportunity to get the compensation that you may deserve. The company that exposed you or a loved one to this harm had a deber de advertir you of the dangers that were being faced, and their failure to do so is what has led to countless people becoming very sick. 

It’s important to note that you don’t necessarily have to file a traditional lawsuit in order to gain access to asbestos funds. There are huge asbestos trusts that have been established to serve people who have been harmed and need access to damages quickly. If you qualify to file a claim with such a trust, you may be able to get money faster than you expected, and without the hassle and stress of an actual lawsuit. 

This all starts by reaching out to a qualified attorney who can walk you through the options and help you to understand what choice may be best in your situation. Don’t delay; seek the justice that you and your family deserve today.