Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoka 1-1, Yahatanishiku, Kitakyushu City, Japan.
Respirology. 2011 Jul;16(5):767-75. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1843.2011.01975.x.
Although there are growing concerns about the global epidemic of asbestos-related diseases (ARD), the current status of asbestos use and ARD in Asia is elusive. We conducted a descriptive analysis of available data on asbestos use and ARD to characterize the current situation in Asia.
We used descriptive indicators of per capita asbestos use (kilograms per capita per year) and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR, persons per million population per year) by country and for the region, with reference to the world.
The proportion of global asbestos use attributed to Asia has been steadily increasing over the years from 14% (1920-1970) to 33% (1971-2000) to 64% (2001-2007). This increase has been reflected in the absolute level of per capita use across a wide range of countries. In contrast, 12 882 ARD deaths have been recorded cumulatively in Asia, which is equivalent to only 13% of the cumulative number of ARD deaths in the world during the same period. The highest AAMR were recorded in Cyprus (4.8), Israel (3.7) and Japan (3.3), all of which have banned asbestos use.
There is a paucity of information concerning the current situation of ARD in Asia. The marked increase in asbestos use in Asia since 1970, however, is likely to trigger a surge of ARD in the immediate decades ahead.
尽管人们对与石棉相关疾病（ARD）的全球流行越来越关注，但亚洲目前石棉使用和 ARD 的状况仍难以捉摸。我们对现有的石棉使用和 ARD 数据进行了描述性分析，以描绘亚洲的现状。
我们使用了按国家和地区计算的人均石棉使用量（公斤/人/年）和年龄调整死亡率（AAMR，百万人/年）的描述性指标，并参考了全球数据。
亚洲在全球石棉使用中的比例多年来稳步上升，从 1920-1970 年的 14%上升到 1971-2000 年的 33%，再上升到 2001-2007 年的 64%。这一增长反映在各国人均使用量的绝对水平上。相比之下，亚洲已累计记录了 12882 例 ARD 死亡病例，仅占同期全球 ARD 死亡病例总数的 13%。塞浦路斯（4.8）、以色列（3.7）和日本（3.3）的 AAMR 最高，这三个国家都已禁止使用石棉。
关于亚洲 ARD 现状的信息有限。然而，自 1970 年以来亚洲石棉使用量的显著增加，可能会在未来几十年引发 ARD 的激增。
