Chrysotile and crocidolite asbestos in Israel: uses, exposures and risks

Importation of raw asbestos (90% chrysotile; 10% crocidolite) for manufacture of cement products and other uses, including friction materials and spraying, had dropped to under 3000 tons by 1993 from a peak of 10,000 tons per annum in the late 1970s. Drops in use, manufacture, persons exposed in manufacture and measured exposure levels followed heightened public concern over the carcinogenic effects of asbestos products, despite a relatively high worker exposure standard of 400,000 f/m3. The atypically low ratio of reported deaths from lung cancer compared to mesothelioma in asbestos cement workers up to 1992 (1:2.5) is suggested to be a consequence of low baseline risks for lung cancer mortality in Israel and dropping smoking levels. Exposure to asbestos use and asbestos in place remain, but total risk should drop after 2010 if imports continue to drop. These projections may be altered by trade between Israel and its neighbors following peace agreements. Reductions in risk will have resulted from reduction in exposure brought about by reductions in manufacture and use.