Over 60 countries in the world have already implemented a national ban on the use of asbestos. However, there remain about 140 countries to follow suit, leaving more than 6 billion people exposed to the harmful fibre, which make them vulnerable to a range of asbestos diseases.

Global Asbestos Ban

In an effort to push for a global asbestos ban, the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute (ADRI) in Australia has intensified its campaign by producing a special issue for the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH).

The issue, titled “Global Panorama of National Experiences in Public Health Actions to Ban Asbestos,” is the first scientific collaboration of a group of global leaders pushing for the worldwide banning of asbestos. It aims particularly at establishing a roadmap to instituting a ban for developing countries.

“This is a big step, something that’s never been done before, the research examining the societal transition required for countries to phase out asbestos,” Asbestos.com quoted Dr. Ken Takahashi, ADRI director as saying. “It’s not going to be an easy task, but we’re moving in that direction.”

Meet Betty, the ADRI House

In its determination to raise awareness on the dangers of exposure to asbestos, the ADRI has also engineered a mobile model home named Betty, designed to demonstrate where asbestos can be located in a house and the dangers it may impose among family members.

Betty, the ADRI house features a bathroom, doghouse, living room and shed. It is the first community engagement and awareness tool of its kind. It has toured Tasmania throughout November, in respect to the Asbestos Awareness Month.

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