Based on Your Reading:
Get Your Free Mesothelioma Guide
Find a Top Mesothelioma Doctor
Access Help Paying for Treatment
Asbestos Facts & Statistics
Table Of Contents
More than 39,000 American lives are lost to asbestos-related disease every year. Asbestos facts and statistics summarize the devastating impact the toxic mineral has had in the U.S. and around the world.
Written by Michelle Whitmer • Edited By Walter Pacheco • Scientifically Reviewed By Yvonne Waterman
Fact Checked
Our fact-checking process begins with a thorough review of all sources to ensure they are high quality. Then we cross-check the facts with original medical or scientific reports published by those sources, or we validate the facts with reputable news organizations, medical and scientific experts and other health experts. Each page includes all sources for full transparency.
Reviewed
Asbestos.com is the nation’s most trusted mesothelioma resource
The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com has provided patients and their loved ones the most updated and reliable information on mesothelioma and asbestos exposure since 2006.
Our team of Patient Advocates includes a medical doctor, a registered nurse, health services administrators, veterans, VA-accredited Claims Agents, an oncology patient navigator and hospice care expert. Their combined expertise means we help any mesothelioma patient or loved one through every step of their cancer journey.
More than 30 contributors, including mesothelioma doctors, survivors, health care professionals and other experts, have peer-reviewed our website and written unique research-driven articles to ensure you get the highest-quality medical and health information.
About The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com
- Assisting mesothelioma patients and their loved ones since 2006.
- Helps more than 50% of mesothelioma patients diagnosed annually in the U.S.
- A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
- 5-star reviewed mesothelioma and support organization.
Testimonials
My family has only the highest compliment for the assistance and support that we received from The Mesothelioma Center. This is a staff of compassionate and knowledgeable individuals who respect what your family is experiencing and who go the extra mile to make an unfortunate diagnosis less stressful. Information and assistance were provided by The Mesothelioma Center at no cost to our family.LashawnMesothelioma patient’s daughter
How to Cite Asbestos.com’s Article
APA
Whitmer, M. (2024, February 2). Asbestos Facts & Statistics. Asbestos.com. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/statistics-facts/
MLA
Whitmer, Michelle. "Asbestos Facts & Statistics." Asbestos.com, 2 Feb 2024, https://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/statistics-facts/.
Chicago
Whitmer, Michelle. "Asbestos Facts & Statistics." Asbestos.com. Last modified February 2, 2024. https://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/statistics-facts/.
Asbestos Facts
Decades of research have proven exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, causes cancer and other serious diseases. Knowing key asbestos statistics can help you understand the health risks and why it is so important to avoid asbestos exposure.
Asbestos served a central role in American commercial product manufacturing throughout the 20th century. It was used in thousands of products before regulations were implemented in the 1970s.
Exposure Facts
- Asbestos has been banned in more than 60 countries, but not in the U.S.
- Asbestos exposure is the No. 1 cause of work-related deaths in the world.
- Approximately 90,000 people die from asbestos-related diseases globally each year.
- An estimated 125 million people worldwide remain at risk of occupational exposure to asbestos.
- About 1.3 million U.S. workers in construction and general industry are at risk of exposure today.
Americans who worked in construction, manufacturing and other blue-collar industries were most at risk of asbestos exposure. Research shows approximately 20% of asbestos workers develop a related disease later in life.
Types of Asbestos
The term asbestos refers to six fibrous minerals that occur naturally throughout the world.
- Chrysotile
- Tremolite
- Crocidolite
- Amosite
- Actinolite
- Anthophyllite
The most widely used type of asbestos is chrysotile. It accounts for approximately 95 percent of asbestos used around the world.
Asbestos fibers are naturally resistant to heat, fire, electricity and chemicals. These properties made it an ideal additive in products that prevented fire and chemical corrosion.
Who Is at Risk of Asbestos Exposure?
People who work with asbestos products are the most at risk of exposure. Occupations that presented the greatest risk of asbestos exposure include:
- Miners
- Millers
- Insulators
- Boilermakers
- Auto mechanics
- Electricians
- Plumbers
- Firefighters
- Construction workers
- Industrial workers
- Shipyard workers
- Power plant workers
Anyone who lived with an asbestos worker was at risk of secondary exposure. This kind of exposure happened to many household members of asbestos workers. Washing the worker’s clothing was a particularly common source of secondary exposure.
Diseases Caused by Asbestos Exposure
Countless scientific studies have proven exposure to asbestos causes cancerous and noncancerous diseases.
Asbestos-Related Cancers
Noncancerous Conditions
- Asbestosis
- Pleural plaques
- Pleural effusions
- Pleuritis
- Diffuse pleural thickening
- Atelectasis
Of the noncancerous conditions, asbestosis is considered serious because it can significantly shorten life expectancy.
Asbestos Statistics
Learning more about asbestos statistics paints a realistic picture of the devastating impacts of asbestos exposure and its related diseases.
While there has been a fall in asbestos production throughout the world, certain countries — including the U.S. — have significantly increased the importation of asbestos. Asbestos lobbying organizations play a major role in keeping the asbestos trade alive.
According to a 2023 report by the U.S. Geological Survey, global consumption of asbestos ranged from 1.1 to 1.3 million tons per year from 2015 through 2021.
- Global asbestos production fell from 2.1 million tons in 2012 to 1.4 million tons in 2015.
- Asbestos imports have fluxuated, but there is an upward trend in recent years. In 2020, the U.S. imported nearly double the amount of asbestos that was imported in 2019. In 2018, the U.S. chemical industry quadrupled its importation of asbestos compared to the year before.
- A 2018 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health reported that for every 20 tons of asbestos produced and consumed a person dies of an asbestos-related disease somewhere in the world.
- In 2000, about 2 million tons of asbestos was consumed each year throughout the world.
The chlor alkali industry is the primary user of asbestos imported into the U.S. They use asbestos diaphragms in their production processes.
Asbestos Exposure Studies
Exposure studies reveal a lot about the health effects of asbestos including who may be at risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. These exposure studies focus on specific types of asbestos work. They uncovered how much exposure translates into cases of disease among the workers.
For example, insulators are among the most studied population of asbestos workers because exposure levels are high in this field of work. Studying asbestos insulators tells us a lot about what can happen when a person is exposed to high levels of asbestos for years.
A 1990 study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences reported on insulation workers with 20 years of experience. More than 80% developed asbestosis and 40% died of asbestos-related diseases.
Some exposure studies have evaluated the risk of disease among people who live in a contaminated area. For example, studies have been conducted in Libby, Montana. The town is home to an asbestos-contaminated vermiculite mine that closed in 1990.
A 2013 study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences found that 18% to 20% of adult residents in Libby have asbestos-related diseases.
Asbestos-Related Disease Statistics
Statistics on asbestos-caused diseases uncover an epidemic of tragic proportions. Thousands of Americans are diagnosed with asbestos-related conditions each year. Hundreds of thousands of people are diagnosed with these conditions around the globe.
- Around 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma every year.
- Asbestos exposure causes at least 90% of all mesothelioma cases.
- From 1999-2010, approximately 6,300 Americans lost their lives to asbestosis.
Treatments exist for these conditions, but no asbestos-related disease is considered curable yet.
Asbestos-Related Death Statistics
Out of all the conditions, asbestos-related lung cancer claims the most lives, followed by mesothelioma.
A study published in 2017 claimed the annual global death rate caused by asbestos exposure is around 237,000.
A 2018 study reported that asbestos-related diseases killed 39,275 people in the U.S. and 222,321 people throughout the world in 2016.
| Disease | Number of U.S. Deaths in 2016 | Number of Global Deaths in 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Lung Cancer | 34,270 | 181,450 |
| Mesothelioma | 3,161 | 27,600 |
| Ovarian Cancer | 787 | 6,022 |
| Laryngeal Cancer | 443 | 3,743 |
| Asbestosis | 613 | 3,495 |
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is attempting to effectively ban chrysotile asbestos. The agency hopes to issue a final rule in the near future. Organizations around the world, such as the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, continue to advocate for a worldwide ban to protect future generations from asbestos-related diseases.
Get Free Recipes for Mesothelioma Patients
Get Compensation You Deserve
The Nation's Top Mesothelioma Guide
