# Asbestos: Communicating the Health Issues Derived from Fibrous Minerals to Society
## 4 Discussion and Conclusions  
In the United States, strict regulations have been implemented on the use of asbestos due to its relationship with serious health hazards. However, the regulated use of asbestos is still permitted under federal law, with some exceptions. Every year, approximately 3000 new cases of mesothelioma and 2500 related deaths are recorded in the UDA [66]. Factories often being the only employment opportunity for those who had to emigrate, leaving their families behind, explains the evolution of the use of asbestos in the lives of the population and its effects on health. Italy was Europe's largest producer of and one of the largest consumers of asbestos until the 1992 asbestos ban. Between 2003 and 2014, 16,086 deaths were related to malignant mesothelioma in Italy, leading to an average of 1340 deaths per year [67]. For example, workers in the port of Genoa (Italy) are at a higher risk of dying from the tumors of the pleura, lungs, larynx, and bladder, and have a higher incidence of respiratory diseases. This is due to the use of asbestos as insulation in compartments, air conditioning systems, and as a component of steam and hot water pipes [68]. Specific exposure to asbestos resulted in a rise in the mortality rates for pleural (+475%), lung (+54%), and laryngeal (+83%) cancers, as well as an increase in respiratory (+27%), asbestos (+2177%), and gastrointestinal tract diseases (+15%) [68]. In Casale Monferrato, in the province of Alessandria (Italy), the hazardous effects of asbestos dust exposure were recognized early on. In the early 1900s, the main economic activity in the Casale Monferrato region was linked to the Eternit factory, the first producer of artificial stone. The company was founded between 1907 and 1912 and continued to operate until 1986. Only in the 1980s did the University of Turin's Cancer Epidemiological Unit and the Piedmontese Cancer Register conduct official studies on the health effects of asbestos exposure with the aim of determining the incidence of pleural cancer among the inhabitants of Casale Monferrato. The first cohort study of Eternit workers was published in January 1987, which reported a significant number of excess deaths from asbestos-related diseases, mainly pleural and peritoneal cancer, lung cancer, and asbestos. A total of 107 deaths were caused by lung tumors, 57 by tumors in the pleural or peritoneal cavity, and 89 by asbestos-related illness [69]. The Casal Monferrato region had a high prevalence of mesothelioma, even among people without occupational exposure to asbestos [70]. On 12 March 1992, Italy passed law number 257 prohibiting the extraction, importation, exportation, and production of manufactured goods containing asbestos. However, even today, past exposure and residual asbestos remain public health problems. Between 1934 and 1989, an asbestos cement pipe plant operated in Bari (Italy) utilizing an asbestos blend comprising 15% crocidolite, 5% amosite, and 80% chrysotile fibers. In 1974, a case-control study was conducted considering 48 mesothelioma deaths and 273 control subjects who were not occupationally exposed residents, finding an increased odds ratio for mesothelioma in people who lived within a 500 m radius of the factory [71]. A problem related to asbestos has arisen regarding talc powder and ovarian cancer in women and other cancers in persons who have used this product. Recently, Johnson & Johnson had to retire a baby powder product because clients had sued the company for the lack of information on its potential asbestos content. Uterus and ovary cancers were reported from various women, and the baby powder was suggested as a potential cause, although final conclusions on this subject have not yet been reached [72]. Talc is a mineral produced from the metamorphism of ultramafic rocks (Figure 6).