Asbestos-Related Disorders in Germany: Background, Politics, Incidence, Diagnostics and Compensation

Xaver Baur
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Xaver Baur: European Society for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, EOM, Berlin, Germany

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: There was some limited use of asbestos at end of the 19th century in industrialized countries including Germany, but its consumption dramatically increased after World War II. The increase in use and exposure was followed by the discovery of high numbers of asbestos-related diseases with a mean latency period of about 38 years in Germany. The strong socio-political pressure from the asbestos industry, its affiliated scientists and physicians has successfully hindered regulatory measures and an asbestos ban for many years; a restrictive stance that is still being unravelled in compensation litigation. This national experience is compared with the situation in other industrialized countries and against the backdrop of the constant efforts of the WHO to eliminate asbestos-related diseases worldwide.

Keywords: asbestos; asbestosis; mesothelioma; prevention; threshold limit values; compensation; stakeholders; asbestos ban; litigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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