Juan Esteban Suesca Villabona

201416801
English 9A Leng 1159-04
03/24/2020

Asbestos and the public health

There are many environmental agents that could cause health issues in people, among these

is asbestos. Asbestos is a group of nonmetallic minerals, which is largely used in the

Colombian construction industry, due to the great

high temperature resistance and tensile strength. Although the asbestos has great properties

in physics and chemical terms, since the early 20th century, evidence has been found about

the risk of cancer due to asbestos exposure. Only until 2019 did Colombia pass a law that

banned the use of asbestos, but it was decided by the government to apply it from the year

2021.

In the second half of the twentieth century, Latin America was one of the regions with the

highest production of asbestos. There is today in many Latin American countries, a

persistence in the realization of asbestos activities (Marsili et al., 2014). In Colombia more

than 92,000 people have occupational exposure to asbestos and many others have other

types of exposure, such as working or living in buildings constructed with this material; this

fact represents a public health risk. Since 1906, asbestos has been studied and the first cases

of lung diseases related to it have been found. Asbestos represents an imminent and proven

health risk (Ferrer & Martinez, 2007). The three main pathologies due to asbestos exposure

are: Asbestosis, which consist in an accumulation of dust in the lungs particularly in the

bronchi and causes a worsening lung function and has dry cough as a symptom; Lung

cancer, which manifests after 15 or 40 years of the initial exposure and have the same

symptoms of lung cancer caused by cigarette smoking; Malignant mesothelioma, which is

Juan Esteban Suesca Villabona
201416801
English 9A Leng 1159-04
03/24/2020

rare but mortal form of cancer that manifests after 30 years of the initial exposure. Just until

2013, diseases related to asbestos exposure killed 90.000 people per year in the world.

Although Colombia has a law to ban the use, production and trade with asbestos, this law is

not currently applied. Therefore, Colombia actually needs policies to address the public

health issues due to use of asbestos; moreover, a policy is needed to prevent these diseases

and decrease the death rate. Cases around the world should be taken as examples where

effective strategies have been organized to deal with this. This includes 3 part strategies,

where in the first part, exposure of the citizens should be avoided, then the elements where

these minerals are contained should be substituted; in the second part, the currently exposed

workers should be followed up and the third part the government should guarantee the

treatment to the main affected people in the country.

Methodology

Initially, general information abouts the problem of asbestos in Colombia was search to

define the problem and simplifies the information until obtained the specific information,

this information was obtained from papers, official reports and digital newspapers in order

to collect the necessary data. This data collect was attached given an idea about why the use

of asbestos represent a real risk. Finally, the information found from some official

Colombian government reports was used to present tables, graphs and statistic.
Juan Esteban Suesca Villabona
201416801
English 9A Leng 1159-04
03/24/2020

Results

Figure 1 Amount and causes of deaths per year in Colombia

Figure 1 provides the trend line about amount of deaths in Colombia and one specific cause

of deaths per year in Colombia. As shown by the trend lines in Figure 1, Colombia has an

aproximate rate of deaths. additionally, deaths caused by respiratory issues represent

aproximately between the 17% and 21% of this amount in Colombia, trend wich is

apparently in increase.

date amount of deaths

2005 68
2006 61
2007 53
2008 85
2009 72
2010 76
2011 62
2012 82
2013 104

Table 1 Amount of deaths caused by asbestos use

Juan Esteban Suesca Villabona
201416801
English 9A Leng 1159-04
03/24/2020

Table 1 shows the amount of deaths due to use of asbestos in Colombia between 2005 and

2013. As can be seen in data, the average of mortality related at the use of asbestos is

aproximately 74 deaths per year. In addition, this data present a gradual but significant

increase.

Discussion and conclusion

According to the information collect as data from the different resources, it is rather clear

that mortality due to respiratory issues has a relevant importance in the mortality rates in

Colombia, because it represent in average the 20% percent of total deaths; additionally,

from this 20% percent, a total of 3% comes from use and expose of asbestos (Blel, n.d.);

although, deaths from asbestos use can be low on average, but it is clear that has a

consistent increase through years, there is a strong posibility that this stady behaviour

would maintain along the years and scope a very dangerours thereshold to the population.

Thus, according to the figure 1 and table 1, there is a definite possibility that the deaths

caused by asbestos use can be related with the national data and a strong posibility to

mantain this behaviour.

Accordingto the solution given, is necessary the implementation of polities to ban

definitively the use of asbestos in Colombia, taking into account prioritization of the

exposed and vulnerable population. It is clear that the implentation of this laws can be

improve the quality life of people in Colombia and help to reduce the inminent death cause

that the constant use of this minerals represent.

Juan Esteban Suesca Villabona
201416801
English 9A Leng 1159-04
03/24/2020

REFERENCES

Ferrer, J. Martínez, C. (2007). Diagnosis of respiratory diseases caused by asbestos.

02/24/2020, from Arch Bronconeumol.

Daniela Marsili, MSc, Pietro Comba, PhD, Roberto Pasetto, MSc, and Benedetto Terracini.

(2014). International Scientific Cooperation on Asbestos-Related Disease Prevention in

Latin America, from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Acosta, K. Romero, J. (2014) Recent changes into principal mortality causes in Colombia.

06/03/2020 from Banco de la República, Colombia.

Ministerio de Salud (MinSalud), Colombia (2016) morbi-mortalidad de las enfermedades

respiratorias cronicas, Colombia 2005-2013. From MINSALUD.GOV 06/03/2020

Blel, Nadia (n.d.) Proyecto de ley: “ana Cecilia niño”. From Congreso de la Republica de

Colombia. 06/03/2020