Burden of Mortality from Asbestos-Related Diseases in Italy

Lucia Fazzo, Alessandra Binazzi, Daniela Ferrante, Giada Minelli, Dario Consonni, Lisa Bauleo, Caterina Bruno, Marcella Bugani, Marco De Santis, Ivano Iavarone, Corrado Magnani, Elisa Romeo, Amerigo Zona, Mariano Alessi, Pietro Comba and Alessandro Marinaccio
Additional contact information
Lucia Fazzo: Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00100 Roma, Italy
Alessandra Binazzi: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Istituto Nazionale per l’Assicurazione Contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro, 00100 Roma, Italy
Daniela Ferrante: Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
Giada Minelli: Statistical Service, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00100 Roma, Italy
Dario Consonni: Epidemiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20100 Milano, Italy
Lisa Bauleo: Department of Epidemiology, Servizio Sanitario Regionale del Lazio, 00100 Roma, Italy
Caterina Bruno: Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00100 Roma, Italy
Marcella Bugani: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Istituto Nazionale per l’Assicurazione Contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro, 00100 Roma, Italy
Marco De Santis: Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00100 Roma, Italy
Ivano Iavarone: Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00100 Roma, Italy
Corrado Magnani: Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
Elisa Romeo: Department of Epidemiology, Servizio Sanitario Regionale del Lazio, 00100 Roma, Italy
Amerigo Zona: Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00100 Roma, Italy
Mariano Alessi: Department of Prevention, Ministry of Health, 00100 Roma, Italy
Pietro Comba: Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00100 Roma, Italy
Alessandro Marinaccio: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Istituto Nazionale per l’Assicurazione Contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro, 00100 Roma, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-14

Abstract: Asbestos is one of the major worldwide occupational carcinogens. The global burden of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) was estimated around 231,000 cases/year. Italy was one of the main European asbestos producers until the 1992 ban. The WHO recommended national programs, including epidemiological surveillance, to eliminate ARDs. The present paper shows the estimate of the burden of mortality from ARDs in Italy, established for the first time. National standardized rates of mortality from mesothelioma and asbestosis and their temporal trends, based on the National Institute of Statistics database, were computed. Deaths from lung cancer attributable to asbestos exposure were estimated using population-based case-control studies. Asbestos-related lung and ovarian cancer deaths attributable to occupational exposure were estimated, considering the Italian occupational cohort studies. In the 2010–2016 period, 4400 deaths/year attributable to asbestos were estimated: 1515 from mesothelioma, 58 from asbestosis, 2830 from lung and 16 from ovarian cancers. The estimates based on occupational cohorts showed that each year 271 deaths from mesothelioma, 302 from lung cancer and 16 from ovarian cancer were attributable to occupational asbestos exposure in industrial sectors with high asbestos levels. The important health impact of asbestos in Italy, 10–25 years after the ban, was highlighted. These results suggest the need for appropriate interventions in terms of prevention, health care and social security at the local level and could contribute to the global estimate of ARDs.

Keywords: asbestos; asbestos-related diseases; burden of mortality; mesothelioma; lung cancer; asbestosis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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