Asbestos Mining
From the beginning of the 20th century until the outbreak of World War II, world production of asbestos rose by 2000%. Output continued to grow steadily, peaking in 1975 at 5 million tonnes. Despite a slight downturn, annual production remained at over 4 million tonnes until 1991. Global production is currently 2,230,000 tonnes (t)/year, with the majority of fiber being mined in Asia. Major asbestos producers are: Russia (875,000t), China (355,000t), Kazakhstan (346,000t), Canada (200,000t), Brazil (194,000t) and Zimbabwe (152,000t) [Killing the Future - Asbestos Use in Asia].
For most of the 20th century, the world's leading supplier of chrysotile asbestos was Canada which, between 1880-2002, mined 61.5 million tonnes worth C$12.8 billion. Falling global demand and stiff competition from asbestos producers in Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Zimbabwe have impacted negatively on the Canadian industry which is now just a shadow of its former self [Asbestos Mine Faces Bankruptcy, Asbestos Mine Reopened by Court Order, And Then There was One!, The Mystery of Canada's Disappearing Asbestos].
Environmental contamination posed by mountains of asbestos-contaminated waste in the mining region of Quebec has led to many cases of asbestos disease amongst townspeople in places like Thetford Mines [Canadian Asbestos: A Global Concern, History in the Making, In Korea, Italy and the U.S. mining operations have adversely affected the health of people living in towns near the mines [Tremolite Contamination in South Korea, Environmental Hazard].
Before the asbestos mines closed down [South Africa Bans Asbestos], South Africa was the only country to produce amosite, chrysotile and crocidolite [Chrysotile Production: Contradictory Developments Signal Industry Confusion].
The working conditions in the mines were appalling with an absence of even the most basic dust control measures despite the fact that the mines were owned by multinational corporations which were well aware of the hazards. Asbestos mining was often a family affair and it was common for children and women to work as a family unit at the South African mines. Environmental pollution caused by decades of asbestos mining and processing have scarred the countryside and caused disease amongst local people in towns such as Penge [Environmental Asbestos Fallout in Asia and Africa ].
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Updated October 2009
