We are pleased to hereby deliver the “Toolkit for the Elimination of Asbestos-Related Diseases.” The toolkit was developed to serve as a concise and easy-to-use source of knowledge, technologies and information related to eliminating asbestos-related diseases (ARDs). The traditional public health approach of addressing the three levels of prevention was considered a basic means for tackling ARDs. It is a sad reality that many countries, especially rapidly developing countries, continue to use asbestos at alarming levels. The developing countries in Asia are at the forefront of this trend, so we intend for the administrators, practitioners and researchers of Asian countries to be the primary beneficiaries. However, we hope that any concerned party will benefit from this toolkit. Whoever the party, a core principle to bear in mind, while referencing this toolkit is that “the most efficient way to eliminate ARDs is to stop the use of all types of asbestos.”
A total of 190 factsheets (380 pages) are included in this toolkit, along with 200 pages of originally developed reference documents and a CD which contains all the materials. The following website provides a comparable version:
http://envepi.med.uoeh-u.ac.jp/toolkit/index.html
The chapters are descriptively entitled:
- Asbestos Exposure Assessment, Risk Identification, and Substitutes
- Asbestos-Related Legislations and Regulations
- Diagnostic Tools for ARDs
- Economic Cost/Burden Incurred by Asbestos Exposure and ARDs
- Risk Communication
The toolkit’s contributors include 25 authors and editors originating from eight countries and regions, all of whom pitched in with their effort and time to achieve a common goal. Several world-class experts supported our efforts as advisors, and the RCS-UNEP, WHO and ILO oversaw the entire process.
Secretariat of the Toolkit:
Mehrnoosh Movahed, MD, PhD
Ying Jiang, PhD
Ken Takahashi, MD, PhD, MPH (Principal Investigator)
Department of Environmental Epidemiology, IIES
University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan
Dr. Ken Takahashi is a GBAN Charter Member