On February 22, 2013, one hundred and forty-three scientists and organisations from thirty countries released the following Statement:<\/em><\/p>\n We condemn in the strongest possible terms the dangerous misinformation that the International Chrysotile Association<\/a> is disseminating in its effort to defeat a proposed ban on asbestos in Pakistan.<\/p>\n The International Chrysotile Association \u201cactively represents the interest of Chrysotile Industry world over\u201d.[1]<\/p>\n In a letter dated January 31, 2013 to Dr. Mahmood A. Khwaja (Senior Adviser, Chemicals and Sustainable Industrial Development, Sustainable Development Policy Institute of Pakistan), the Chairman of the International Chrysotile Association (Mr. Jean-Marc Leblond) expresses the opposition of that Association to the recommendation made, in January 2013, by the Pakistan National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Resource Development to ban the import and use of asbestos.<\/p>\n Mr. Leblond is a long-time salesman of asbestos. From 1986 to 2007, he was Vice President in charge of Sales for LAB Chrysotile Inc., a Quebec asbestos mining company. From 2008 to 2011, he was President of Chrysotile Canada Inc., the marketing agency for Quebec asbestos mining companies. He sat as a director of the discredited asbestos lobby organisation, the Chrysotile Institute. Presently, he is President of Polyser Inc., a consulting company in international trade.<\/p>\n The directors of the International Chrysotile Association do not have scientific credentials. They are executives and promoters of the asbestos industry, with a vested interest in selling asbestos.<\/p>\n Scientists and scientific organisations have condemned these asbestos lobby organisations for \u201cendangering public health by disseminating misleading and untruthful information about chrysotile asbestos, especially in the world\u2019s emerging economies.\u201d[2]<\/p>\n The information that the International Chrysotile Association (I.C.A.) puts forward in its letter is false.<\/p>\n 1) The I.C.A. claims in its letter that \u201cthe scientific evidence is overwhelming which supports the safe and responsible use of chrysotile.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In fact, the overwhelming scientific evidence shows that chrysotile asbestos causes deadly diseases and that \u201csafe use\u201d of chrysotile asbestos has not ever been documented. Even in Canada, a highly regulated and technologically advanced country, where chrysotile asbestos has been mined and used in the province of Quebec for a hundred years, all the Quebec government\u2019s directors of Public Health warn that \u201csafe use of chrysotile asbestos\u201d cannot be achieved and that Quebec\u2019s \u201csafe use\u201d policy has been a complete failure.[3] The present government of Quebec has consequently ended its support for the Quebec asbestos industry. Because of past use of asbestos, Quebec\u2019s Occupational Health & Safety Commission reports that asbestos-related diseases continue to represent 70% of deaths caused by occupational diseases.[4]<\/p>\n While a handful of scientists financed by the asbestos industry, such as those the I.C.A. cites in its letter, deny the health risks of chrysotile asbestos and promote its continued used, not a single reputable scientific body in the world supports this position.<\/p>\n The World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization and the World Bank have all called for an end to the use of chrysotile asbestos. Chrysotile asbestos represents 100% of the global asbestos trade today. Over the past century, chrysotile asbestos represented 95% of all asbestos sold, with all other forms of asbestos representing 5% of asbestos sold. The WHO cites 107,000 occupational deaths yearly from exposure to asbestos.<\/p>\n The Union for the International Control of Cancer (2012), comprising more than 700 member organisations in 155 countries, the World Federation of Public Health Associations (2005), the International Commission on Occupational Health (2000), the International Social Security Association (2004), the Collegium Ramazzini (1999, 20105) and the International Trade Union Confederation (2004) \u2013 representing 175 million workers in 151 countries \u2013 have all called for a global ban on the use of all forms of asbestos, particularly chrysotile asbestos.<\/p>\n A recent Position Statement published by the Joint Policy Committee of Societies of Epidemiology (JPC-SE)6, endorsed by numerous scientific organisations around the world[7] and individual scientists8, calls for a global ban on the mining, use and export of all forms of asbestos.<\/p>\n 2) The I.C.A. claims in its letter that chrysotile cement building materials, \u201cwith the application of simple control measures … do not present any significant risk to workers, the general public or the environment.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In fact, the WHO has particularly emphasized the dangers of chrysotile cement building materials, noting that: \u201cThe workforce involved is large, exposure is difficult to control, and in-place materials have the potential to deteriorate and pose a risk to those carrying out alterations, maintenance, and demolition.\u201d[9]<\/p>\n 3) The I.C.A. claims in its letter that others forms of asbestos are hazardous, but that chrysotile asbestos \u201ccan and is being used safely, i.e. at low exposures it does not present a detectable risk to health.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In fact, the scientific consensus is overwhelming that, as the WHO states, there is no safe exposure level to chrysotile asbestos and the only way to prevent epidemics of\u00a0 asbestos related diseases is to stop the use of all forms of asbestos. Not a single reputable scientific organisation in the world agrees with the assertion made by Mr. Leblond and the asbestos lobby.<\/p>\n 4) The I.C.A. claims in its letter that substitute fibers are \u201cnon-regulated, more expensive, less durable and, unlike the minimal risk associated with chrysotile, their potential risk to the health of workers is unknown.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In fact, as the WHO and the World Bank state, safer non-fibrous and fibrous alternatives to asbestos are available and have been satisfactorily used for decades. Studies carried out in Thailand show that the price difference is minimal.[10] Use of chrysotile asbestos, however, causes enormous economic costs in health care, as well as in safety measures when buildings are constructed, renovated, repaired or demolished, or after a natural disaster causes devastation, such as an earthquake or hurricane.\u00a0 These costs are externalized by the asbestos industry and paid by citizens and governments in both money and lives.<\/p>\n According to Phaskorn Buranawit, the managing director of Siam Fibre Cement, the leading manufacturer of fibre cement roof tiles in Thailand, the purchase price difference between asbestos and non-asbestos roofing products is only 2 to 5%.[11]<\/p>\n 5) The I.C.A. claims in its letter that 129 countries Member States of the WHO, including the U.S. and Canada, are using asbestos today.<\/strong><\/p>\n In fact, use of asbestos has virtually ceased in the U.S. and Canada. In 1980, the U.S. used 350,000 tonnes of asbestos. In 2011, the U.S. used 961 tonnes – 0.3% of the 1980 figure.[12]<\/p>\n In 2011, just five countries \u2013 China, India, Russia, Brazil and Kazakhstan \u2013 accounted for 74% of all asbestos consumed globally. Between 2000 and 2012, the number of\u00a0 countries banning asbestos tripled from 18 countries to 54; the number of countries using asbestos dropped by 53% in this time period. By 2012, only 15 countries were using more than 500 tonnes of asbestos a year.[13] (Note: The correct figure is 35 countries were using more than 500 tonnes of asbestos in 2011. The typographical error on the IBAS website, stating 15 countries, was corrected to say 35 countries on February 23, 2013.)<\/p>\n In every country where asbestos has been used, it has created a financial and human disaster. Consequently, more and more countries refuse to use asbestos. The asbestos industry, in its efforts to protect its profits, therefore targets countries, such as Pakistan, that are considering a ban on asbestos. The industry is indifferent to the economic and human costs that Pakistan will face if it allows continued use of asbestos.<\/p>\n 6) The scientist that the I.C.A. most strongly relies on in its letter is consultant, David<\/strong> Bernstein, Ph.D., who claims that chrysotile asbestos is quickly expelled from the lungs and poses little risk to health.<\/strong><\/p>\n In its letter, the I.C.A. states that a recent study – Health risk of chrysotile revisited<\/em> by Bernstein et al – is \u201cof paramount relevance to your deliberations\u201d. The I.C.A. \u201curge your and your colleagues’ close attention to its\u00a0 contents\u201d. The I.C.A. did not disclose that the I.C.A. had funded this study.<\/p>\n While Dr. Bernstein presents himself as an independent scientist, he admitted, when questioned by a judge, that all his studies on chrysotile asbestos had been funded by the chrysotile asbestos industry and by corporations facing litigation cases for harm caused by chrysotile asbestos. Dr. Bernstein admitted to the judge that not a single scientific body anywhere agreed with his views on chrysotile asbestos.[14]<\/p>\n Dr. Bernstein is reported to have received a million dollars from the Canadian chrysotile asbestos lobby organisation (the Asbestos Institute, now renamed the Chrysotile Institute) to carry out his study Biopersistence of Canadian Chrysotile[15], which is #1 in the list of studies put forward by the I.C.A. in their letter. The Asbestos Institute released Dr. Bernstein\u2019s study, with great fanfare, on September 9, 2003. In its media release, the Asbestos Institute stated \u201cBuoyed by the results of the biopersistence study on Quebec chrysotile, the Asbestos Institute will now focus on (…) encouraging various players to increase their consumption of chrysotile\u201d.[16]<\/p>\n In fact, many chrysotile fibres are not expelled from the lung, but are moved to the pleura where mesotheliomas occur. Studies from France, the U.S. and Japan show that the most common form of fibre found in the pleura of mesothelioma cases is short chrysotile fibres, sometimes the only fibre type found.[17]<\/p>\n Furthermore, other recognized human carcinogens have much shorter residence in the body (formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, benzidine) than the mineral fibres of chrysotile.<\/p>\n The JPC-SE Position Statement on Asbestos points out how the asbestos industry has undermined public health policy: \u201cSimilar to the tobacco industry, the asbestos industry has funded and manipulated research to manufacture findings favourable to its own interests.\u201d The Position Statement documents how the industry has set up front organizations, which claim that, \u201cwhile other forms of asbestos are hazardous, chrysotile asbestos is quickly expelled from the lungs and presents little hazard to health.\u201d<\/p>\n The Position Statement emphasizes that: \u201cIndependent and reputable scientific authorities reject these claims as erroneous, dangerous, and deceptive.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Categorically condemn the dangerous misinformation that the International Chrysotile Association is disseminating, because it will cause unnecessary disease and death.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Categorically condemn the efforts of the International Chrysotile Association to undermine a public health initiative in Pakistan to protect the people of Pakistan from asbestos-related diseases and death.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Call on the asbestos industry to cease its interference in public health initiatives in other countries, since these initiatives should be dealt with by the people of those countries without interference by foreign agencies who are pursuing their own vested interests.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Encourage the Government of Pakistan to recognize the letter from the International Chrysotile Association as the dangerous misinformation it is.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Emphasize that the scientific consensus is clear that chrysotile asbestos causes harm to health, that it cannot be safely used and that the use of any form of asbestos, including chrysotile asbestos, should be globally banned.<\/p>\n \u00b7 Urge the Government of Pakistan to protect the health of its citizens by banning the import and use of asbestos, as the Pakistan National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Resource Development has recommended.<\/p>\n SIGNERS:<\/strong><\/p>\n INDIVIDUAL SCIENTISTS<\/strong><\/p>\n NOTE: Titles and affiliations for individual signers are given for identification purposes only.<\/p>\n DR. GUADALUPE AGUILAR MADRID, PhD, Unidad de Investigaci\u00f3n en Salud en el Trabajo, Centro M\u00e9dico Nacional Siglo XXI.IMSS, Mexico<\/p>\n DR. MICHELINE BEAUDRY, Ph.D., professeure retrait\u00e9e, l’Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada<\/p>\n DR WARREN BELL, MD, former President, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canada<\/p>\n DR. DENISE BOWES, MD, CCFP, rural family physician (retired); member Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canada<\/p>\n DR. JAMES BROPHY, PhD, University of Windsor; former Executive Director, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Canada<\/p>\n PROF ALEX BURDORF, PHD, Chair in Determinants of Population Health, Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands<\/p>\n DR. CHRIS CARLSTEN, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Chair in Occupational and Environmental Lung Disease; Director, Occupational Lung Disease Clinic; Associate Faculty, School of Population and Public Health Associate, UBC James Hogg Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Canada<\/p>\n DR BARRY CASTLEMAN, ScD, Environmental Consultant, USA; author, Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects;<\/em> Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini.<\/p>\n DR SANJAY CHATURVEDI, MD, FAMS, FIPHA, FIAPSM, Professor & Head, Dept. of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi, India<\/p>\n PROF. MARCELO ENRIQUE CONTI, Ph.D. Department of Management, Sapienza, University of Rome; International Commission on Occupational Health (Toxicology of Metals & Nanomaterial Workers’ Health Scientific Committees); Editor in Chief, International Journal of Environment and Health, Rome, Italy<\/p>\n DR. LILIAN CORRA, MD, International Secretary, International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE); Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy; President, Asociaci\u00f3n Argentina de M\u00e9dicos por el Medio Ambiente (AAMMA); Director, Career of Medical Specialists on Health and Environment , School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina<\/p>\n DR. HELENO R. CORR\u00caA FILHO, Epidemiologist – Associate Professor, UNICAMP – FCM – DSC – Brazil<\/p>\n DR. CARL F. CRANOR, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Faculty Member, Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, Department of Philosophy, University of California, USA<\/p>\n DR ELIZABETH CULLEN, MB, MCh, BAO, M Sc, Ph D, member of Irish Doctors’ Environmental Association, Ireland<\/p>\n DR. AQIEL DALVIE, Associate Professor; Programme Leader, Chemical Toxicity and Exposures, University of Cape Town, South Africa<\/p>\n DR. ROBERT C. DICKSON, MD, Calgary, AB, Canada<\/p>\n DR ANA DIGON, Medica toxic\u00f3loga, Primera C\u00e1tedra de Toxicolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina<\/p>\n DR. DAVID EGILMAN, MD, MPH, Editor, International Journal Of Occupational and Environmental Health; Clinical Professor Department of Family Medicine, Brown University, USA<\/p>\n DR. CATHEY EISNER FALVO, MD, MPH, President, International Society of Doctors for the Environment; Professor and Chair, International Public Health, New York\u00a0 Medical College (retired); Professor of Pediatrics, NYMC (retired), USA<\/p>\n DR. ERICA FISCHER, M.D., University of Toronto Health Service, Canada<\/p>\n DR ARTHUR L. FRANK, MD, PhD, Professor of Public Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy<\/p>\n DR. ERICA FRANK, MD, MPH, Professor and Canada Research Chair, University of British Columbia, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine; President and Executive Director, NextGenU.org<\/p>\n DAVID GEE, Senior Adviser, Science Policy, Emerging Issues, European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark<\/p>\n FERNANDA GIANNASI, Civil engineer, post-graduate in Health and Safety Engineering; Labor Inspector, Brazilian Federal Ministry of Labor and Employment; Coordinator, GIA \u2014 Inter-Institutional Group on Asbestos; Coordinator, Virtual Citizens’ Network for the Banning of Asbestos in Latin America; founder, ABREA, the Brazilian Association of People Exposed to Asbestos, Brazil<\/p>\n DR BERNARD D. GOLDSTEIN, MD, Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, USA<\/p>\n DR MORRIS GREENBERG, MB, FRCP, FFOM, former, HM Medical Inspector of Factories, England<\/p>\n DR TEE L. GUIDOTTI, MD, MPH, FRCPC, Emeritus President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment<\/p>\n DR. W. ANDREW HARRIS, MD, Senior Lecturer, Global Health Center, Oregon Health & Science University, USA<\/p>\n DR. MARC HINDRY, PhD, professor, Universit\u00e9 Paris Diderot, France<\/p>\n DR ANDREW HOULSON, Environmental Scientist, Eng.D, Canada<\/p>\n DR. HOWARD HU, M.D., M.P.H., Sc.D. Director\/Dean & Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada<\/p>\n DR JAMES HUFF, PhD., Staff Scientist Chemical Carcinogenesis, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Research, Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA<\/p>\n DR. PETER F. INFANTE, D.D.S., Dr.P.H., F.A.C.E., Peter F. Infante Consulting, LLC; Formerly Director, Office of Standards Review, Health Standards Program, Occupational\u00a0 Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Washington, D.C., USA<\/p>\n DR. JAYABALAN THAMBYAPPA, MBBS, M.Sc., Consultant, National Poison Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia; Collaborating Center For Drug Information, World Health Organization; President, Persatuan Penasihat Kesihatan Dan Keselamatan Pekerjaan Pulau Pinang; Member, Academy Of Occupational And Environmental Medicine, Malaysia<\/p>\n DR. CUAUHTEMOC A. JUAREZ PEREZ, MSc, MD, Unidad de Investigaci\u00f3n en Salud en el Trabajo, Centro M\u00e9dico Nacional Siglo XXI.IMSS, Mexico<\/p>\n PROF. MOHAMED F JEEBHAY, MBChB, PhD, Director, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa<\/p>\n DR. T K JOSHI, Director, OEM Programme, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, New Delhi; Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy; Visiting Professor, Drexel\u00a0 University School of Public Health, Philadelphia, USA<\/p>\n DR. MARGARET KEITH, PhD, University of Windsor; former Research Coordinator, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, ON, Canada<\/p>\n DR JOHN R. KEYSERLINGK, MD., MSc., FRCS(C)., FACS, Director, Medicine & Surgical Oncology, Ville Marie Oncology Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<\/p>\n DR KAPIL KHATTER, MD, CCFP, MES, Past President, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canada<\/p>\n DR. DAVID KING, MBBS, MPH, FRACGP, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of General<\/p>\n Practice: School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Australia<\/p>\n Dr. NAJI KODEIH, Dr. Eng., Long-Term Technical Advisor & Key Environmental Expert, Egyptian Power Transmission Project, Egypt<\/p>\n DR. JOHN KRISTENSEN, MD, CCFP, member, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canada<\/p>\n DR. VITHAYA KULSOMBOON, PH.D., Associate Professor and Director of Social Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand<\/p>\n DR. PHILIP J. LANDRIGAN, MD, MSc, Dean for Global Health, Ethel H. Wise Professor and Chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine; Professor of Pediatrics; Director, Children’s Environmental Health Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA<\/p>\n DR CHRISTOPHER W. LEE, MD FRCPC, Medical Oncologist, BC Cancer Agency, Canada<\/p>\n DR. JAMES LEIGH, MD, PhD, Senior Research Consultant, Asbestos Diseases Research Institute, University of Sydney, Australia<\/p>\n DR RICHARD A. LEMEN, Ph.D., MSPH, Assistant Surgeon General (ret.), Rear Admiral, USPHS (ret.); Adjunct Professor, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy.<\/p>\n DR. ABBY LIPPMAN, PhD, Professor Emerita, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montr\u00e9al, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada<\/p>\n PROFESSOR LESLIE LONDON, Director: School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town Health Sciences Faculty, South Africa<\/p>\n DR. RICHARD MATZOPOULOS, MPhil (Epi), PhD (Public Health), Honorary Research Associate, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town; Specialist Scientist, Burden of Disease Research Unit, Medical Research Council, South Africa<\/p>\n Dr. JOCK McCULLOCH, Professor of History, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Australia; fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences, Australia<\/p>\n DR. MELISSA A. McDIARMID, MD, MPH, DABT, Professor, Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology & Public Health; Director, Occupational Health Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, USA<\/p>\n DR. RAMIN MEHRDAD, MD, MPH, Associate professor of Occupational Medicine, Center for Research on Occupational Diseases, Tehran, Iran<\/p>\n DR. DARIO MIRABELLI, MD, Unit\u00e0 di Epidemiologia dei Tumori, Torino, Italy<\/p>\n PROF. DR. HANNS MOSHAMMER, Institute of Environmental Health, Department of Medicine, University of Vienna, Austria<\/p>\n DR \u00c9RIC NOTEBAERT, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Montreal, Quebec; Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment<\/p>\n ZULEICA NYCZ, Civil Society Representative in the National Environment Council (CONAMA), Brazil<\/p>\n ANDREW F. OBERTA, MPH, CIH, The Environmental Consultancy; Certified in Comprehensive Practice by American Board of Industrial Hygiene; Licensed Asbestos Consultant; Author, ASTM Manual on Asbestos Control; Past President. Environmental Information Association; Fellow, American Industrial Hygiene Association, USA<\/p>\n DR JOHN O’CONNOR, MD, Canada<\/p>\n RORY O’NEILL, Editor, Hazards magazine; Professor, Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group, University of Stirling, Scotland<\/p>\n Dr. PETER ORRIS, MD, MPH, Professor and Chief of Service, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, USA<\/p>\n DR DAVID OZONOFF, MD, MPH, Professor of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, USA<\/p>\n DR DOMYUNG PAEK, MD, MSc, ScD, Dean, School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea<\/p>\n CHRISTOPHER RICKARD, BSc, PhD, MCIC, former technical director, Polyresins Inc. (retired), Canada<\/p>\n DR. EDUARDO JORGE RODRIGUEZ, m\u00e9dico, Especialista en Medicina del Trabajo; Jefe del Programa Nacional de Salud del Trabajador de la Direcci\u00f3n Nacional de Determinantes de la Salud e Investigaci\u00f3n; Coordinador de la Comision Asesora sobre el Asbesto Crisotilo, Ministerio de Salud de la Nacion, Argentina<\/p>\n DR. JENNIFER SASS, Ph.D., Environmental and Occupational Health Department, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA<\/p>\n DR KYLA ELIZABETH SENTES, PhD, Public Health and Political Science, Quebec, Canada<\/p>\n DR IAN MCD. SIMPSON, MA, MB, Bchir, CCFP, FCFP, Canada<\/p>\n DOTT. MORANDO SOFFRITTI, Direttore Scientifico, Istituto Ramazzini e Segretario Generale, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy<\/p>\n DR COLIN L. SOSKOLNE, Professor of Epidemiology, Dept of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Visiting Fellow, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Australia; Immediate Past-President, Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Fellow, American College of Epidemiology; Fellow, Collegium Ramazzini, Italy<\/p>\n DR. SYDNEY PRICE SPARLING, BA, MDCM, Canada<\/p>\n DR. JERRY SPIEGEL, MA, MSc, PhD, Professor, School of Population and Public Health; Director, Global Health Research Program, Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada<\/p>\n DR. KEN TAKAHASHI, MD, PhD, MPH, Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, IIES; Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Occupational Health; Director of the International Center, University of Occupational & Environmental Health, Kitakyushu City, Japan<\/p>\n DR.TIM K. TAKARO, MD, MPH, MS., Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada<\/p>\n DR BENEDETTO TERRACINI, Professor of Cancer Epidemiology, University of Torino (retired), Italy<\/p>\n DR ANNIE TH\u00c9BAUD-MONY, PhD, Directeur de recherche honoraire, Institut National de la Sant\u00e9 et de la Recherche M\u00e9dicale (INSERM), France; Specialist in occupational cancer, University Paris 13; President, Association Henri P\u00e9zerat (Sant\u00e9 Travail Environnement); Spokesperson for Ban Asbestos France<\/p>\n DR. IVANCICA TROSIC, PhD, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia<\/p>\n DR FERNAND TURCOTTE, MD, MPH, FRCPC, Professor Emeritus of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada<\/p>\n DR. CATHY VAKIL, MD, CCFP, FCFP, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada<\/p>\n DR ANITA VAN DER WALT, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health Research, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa<\/p>\n DR. YVONNE R.K. WATERMAN, Sc.D., LL.M., director, Waterman Legal Consultancy, The Netherlands.<\/p>\n PROFESSOR ANDREW WATTERSON, PhD, CSHP, Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group, University of Stirling, Scotland<\/p>\n DR. DAVID H WEGMAN, MD, MSc, Occupational Disease Epidemiologist; Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA<\/p>\n DR. LAURA S. WELCH, MD, Medical Director, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring MD, USA<\/p>\n DR. STANLEY H. WEISS, MD, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA<\/p>\n DR. ROBERT WINSTON, MD, FACP, FRCPC, BCCA, Abbotsford, BC, Canada<\/p>\n DR. ANNALEE YASSI, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Professor and Canada Research Chair, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada<\/p>\n ORGANISATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n AerztInnen fuer eine gesunde Umwelt (Doctors for a Healthy Environment), Austria<\/p>\n AMAR \u2013 Environment Defense Association of Araucaria \u2013 Brazil<\/p>\n APROMAC \u2013 Environment Protection Association \u2013 Brazil<\/p>\n APEDDUB, Tunisia<\/p>\n Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), USA<\/p>\n Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia Inc., Australia<\/p>\n Asbestos-related Research, Education & Advocacy Fund (AREA), Canada<\/p>\n Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum, UK<\/p>\n Asia Monitoring Resource Centre, Hong Kong<\/p>\n Asian Ban Asbestos Network (A-BAN), Asia<\/p>\n Asian Citizens Centre for the Environment, South Korea<\/p>\n Association Nationale de D\u00e9fense des Victimes de l’Amiante (National Association for the Defence of Victims of Asbestos), France<\/p>\n Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational and Environmental Victims (ANROEV)<\/p>\n Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto – ABREA (Brazilan Asociation of Exposed People to Asbestos), Brazil<\/p>\n Associated Consulting Engineers Employees Union, Pakistan<\/p>\n Australian Medical Students’ Association, Australia<\/p>\n A Walk to Remember Victims of Asbestos, Sarnia, Canada<\/p>\n Ban Asbestos Network Japan (BANJAN), Japan<\/p>\n Ban Asbestos Network Korea (BANKO), South Korea<\/p>\n Barrow Trades Union Council, UK<\/p>\n Building Workers International<\/p>\n Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canada<\/p>\n Canadian Health Coalition, Canada<\/p>\n Corporate Accountability International<\/p>\n Eco-Accord Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development, Russia<\/p>\n Health Consumer Protection program, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.<\/p>\n IndyACT, Lebanon<\/p>\n Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, USA<\/p>\n International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, UK<\/p>\n International Society of Doctors for the Environment<\/p>\n Irish Doctors Environmental Association (IDEA), Ireland<\/p>\n Island Sustainability Alliance CIS Inc. (“ISACI”), Cook Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean<\/p>\n London Hazards Centre, UK<\/p>\n Merseyside Asbestos Victim Support Group (Mavsg), UK<\/p>\n Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund, UK<\/p>\n MiningWatch Canada<\/p>\n National Toxics Network Inc., Australia<\/p>\n Northeast Asbestos Support and Awareness Group, UK<\/p>\n Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI)<\/p>\n Occupational Health and Safety Association, India<\/p>\n Occupational Health and Safety Centre, India<\/p>\n MERCURIADOS mercury patients, Spain<\/p>\n Pakistan Construction Federation<\/p>\n Pakistan Federation of Building and Wood Workers (PFBWW), Pakistan<\/p>\n Pan African Vision for the Environment (PAVE), Nigeria<\/p>\n People\u2019s Training & Research Centre, India<\/p>\n Prevent Cancer Now, Canada<\/p>\n RightOnCanada.ca, Canada<\/p>\n Saskatchewan Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, Canada<\/p>\n School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa<\/p>\n Sierra Club Canada<\/p>\n Thailand Ban Asbestos Network (TBAN), Thailand<\/p>\n The Cancer Prevention and Education Society, UK<\/p>\n ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA), New Delhi, India<\/p>\n TOXISPHERA Environmental Health Association, Brazil<\/p>\n Walk for Truth – Asbestos Kills. A Walk to Remember Victims of Asbestos, Canada<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1 Asbestos Cement Products Manufacturers Association of India, 2012. About Us<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2 Letter from health experts to Prime Minister Harper of Canada, January 23, 2009<\/p>\n 3 Quebec, Public Health Directors, 2011. Les directions r\u00e9gionales de sant\u00e9 publique constatent l\u2019\u00e9chec de l\u2019utilisation s\u00e9curitaire de l\u2019amiante chrysotile.<\/a><\/p>\n 4 Commission de la sant\u00e9 et de la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 du travail du Qu\u00e9bec, 2010. Portrait des l\u00e9sions professionnelles chez les travailleurs de 45 ans et plus 1999-2008<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5 The Case for a Global Ban on Asbestos, LaDou et al, Environmental Health Perspectives, volume 118, number 7, July 2010<\/p>\n 6 Position Statement on Asbestos<\/a>, JPC-SE, June 4, 2012<\/p>\n 7 Endorsements from Organizations<\/a>, JPC-SE Position Statement on Asbestos.<\/p>\n 8 Endorsements from Individuals<\/a>, JPC-SE Position Statement on Asbestos.<\/p>\nTHEREFORE, WE, THE SIGNERS OF THIS STATEMENT:<\/strong><\/h2>\n