Asbestos and mesothelioma: worldwide trends.

A correlation between national asbestos consumption and the incidence of asbestos disease, including mesothelioma, has been observed. Towards the end of the 20th century, governments in many developed countries banned or seriously restricted the use of asbestos. As a result, global asbestos producers have engaged in aggressive marketing campaigns to sell asbestos to developing countries; consumption of white asbestos is increasing in Asia, Latin America and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In most of the countries, there is little, if any, control on hazardous asbestos exposures from occupational, environmental and domestic sources. It is likely that the lethal asbestos harvest which is occurring in the U.S., the UK and Australia will be reproduced in the developing world.