Asbestos and mesothelioma: worldwide trends

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.

quoted from:"http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/news.cfm"

What is Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking.

quoted from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesothelioma"