Asbestos-related Diseases in Turkey: caused not only by naturally occurring fibers but also by industrial exposures

Abstract

Many publications have been devoted to the epidemiology of asbestos exposure in Turkey. However, they have all focused on environmental exposure to “naturally occurring asbestos” (natural component of soils or rocks)”, ignoring potential industrial asbestos exposure(1-4). Yet, many industrial activities involved occupational asbestos exposure during Turkey’s industrialization, including construction, shipbuilding, automotive manufacturing, and others. Between 1900 and 2003, 1.2 million tons of asbestos were used in Turkish industry(5). The use of asbestos was officially banned in 2010.