No, really!
Well, okay, not really.
According to Government data, 43,000 people have been killed by asbestos since 1973. That’s people whose death certificates acknowledge mesothelioma or asbestosis as the cause of death, i.e., definite asbestos deaths, not vague and nonfactual speculation. (Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by asbestos; asbestosis is a disease brought on by lung scarring.)
Taking into account a more complete assessment of mesothelioma/asbestosis deaths and also accounting for lung and gastrointestinal cancer, that number would probably be about 230,000.
230,000.
Not only that, but as reporting becomes more thorough, more complete (and as time treads onward), a surprising picture is emerging: more and more people are dying every year from asbestos.
The Environmental Working Group Action Fund has a devastatingly thorough (and easily navigable) web site, which covers the asbestos ‘epidemic’ in full, stunning detail: the facts, the industry reaction, current news coverage, and so forth.
It’s probably more information than you personally might need (and more than can easily be digested), but a valuable resource nonetheless, particularly for anyone who may be dealing with asbestos-related health problems in one way or another.
(via EWG Action Fund: “The Asbestos Epidemic In America”)