Asbestos Mine in Russia Causes High Rates of Cancer:
In the Ural Mountains, nearly 1000 miles north of Moscow, lies a dying city. The city of Asbest is home to one of the world’s largest asbestos mines and this town of 70,000 people is known as the “dying city” because of its high rates of lung cancer and asbestos-related diseases. Some studies put the rate of cancer in Asbest at 20-40% higher than the rest of the Svedlovsk region in Russia. Nearly half a million metric tons of asbestos are mined annually in the Ural asbestos mine. The asbestos industry in this area employs 400,000 people and generates $800 million a year.Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral, found in rock and soil. The mineral can be pulled into fibers and used in clothing, cement or other materials. In the 1980’s, asbestos was generally used as a fire retardant in clothing and building materials. However, with the discovery that inhalation of asbestos can lead to scarring of the lungs and a type of cancer called mesothelioma, 52 countries have banned or restricted its use.The asbestos industry and the city of Asbest were hit hard by the financial crisis that hit most of the world, including Russia, in 2008. The construction industry faltered, and so did Asbest, with many workers facing mandatory pay cuts and drastically reduced work hours. Bans across the world didn’t help the Asbest economy. Asbestos can’t be sold in the European Union at all and its use is highly restricted in the United States. Moreover, the U.S. asbestos industry has paid out more than $70 billion in damages and litigation costs. It’s estimated that asbestos has killed as many as 200,000 people.But despite restrictions and world-wide health concerns, Asbest is back to churning out asbestos, exporting 2 million tons a year to developing countries that have little regulation over the material. The asbestos industry is also heavily supported by the Russian Federation government. It’s used widely inside the country and the industry continues to insist that the chrysotile asbestos mined in the Urals is safe.In Asbest, when the wind picks up the city is often coated in asbestos dust.It’s everywhere and in everything. Lawsuits of the type that held the asbestos industry responsible for damages in the U.S. simply aren’t possible in Russia. So, tragically, the people of Asbest brush the asbestos dust of off their clothes, wash it off of their vegetables and go back to work at the mine.If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos, you may be entitled to compensation and assistance. For a FREE consultation, call the Madeksho Law Firm at 1-888-910-MESO, or contact us here.
