International Headquarters, Castello dei Pio, 41012 Carpi/Modena, Italy.
Arch Environ Occup Health. 2010 Jul-Sep;65(3):121-6. doi: 10.1080/19338241003776104.
All forms of asbestos are proven human carcinogens. All forms of asbestos cause malignant mesothelioma, lung, laryngeal, and ovarian cancers, and may cause gastrointestinal and other cancers. No exposure to asbestos is without risk. Asbestos cancer victims die painful lingering deaths. These deaths are almost entirely preventable. When evidence of the carcinogenicity of asbestos became incontrovertible, concerned parties, including the Collegium Ramazzini, called for a universal ban on the mining, manufacture, and use of asbestos in all countries around the world (J Occup Environ Med. 1999;41:830-832). Asbestos is now banned in 52 countries, and safer products have replaced many materials that once were made with asbestos. Nonetheless, a large number of countries still use, import, and export asbestos and asbestos-containing products. And in many countries that have banned other forms of asbestos, the so-called "controlled use" of chrysotile asbestos is exempted from the ban, an exemption that has no basis in medical science but rather reflects the political and economic influence of the asbestos mining and manufacturing industry. All countries of the world have an obligation to their citizens to join in the international endeavor to ban all forms of asbestos. An international ban on asbestos is urgently needed.
所有形式的石棉均已被证实是人类致癌物。所有形式的石棉都会引发恶性间皮瘤、肺癌、喉癌和卵巢癌，还可能引发胃肠道癌和其他癌症。接触石棉就会有风险。石棉致癌的受害者会经历痛苦的、迁延不愈的死亡过程。而这些死亡几乎完全是可以预防的。当石棉致癌性的证据确凿无疑时，包括拉马齐尼学院在内的相关各方呼吁在世界各国全面禁止石棉的开采、制造和使用（《职业与环境医学杂志》。1999年；41:830 - 832）。目前已有52个国家禁止使用石棉，许多曾经用石棉制造的材料已被更安全的产品所取代。尽管如此，仍有大量国家在使用、进口和出口石棉及含石棉产品。而且在许多已禁止其他形式石棉的国家，温石棉的所谓“受控使用”被豁免于禁令之外，这种豁免并无医学依据，而是反映了石棉开采和制造业的政治及经济影响力。世界各国都有义务为其公民参与国际努力，以禁止所有形式的石棉。迫切需要在国际上禁止石棉。
