On this year's World Day for Health and Safety at Work, 28 April, WHO is calling for concerted global action to promote occupational safety and health in a "green economy" - one of the themes of the upcoming RIO+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, 20-22 June. Ensuring workers' health is an essential prerequisite for sustainable development. Presently, more than 2 million people die each year as a result of work-related illness or injuries and some 180 million people fall ill because of their work. One in every three deaths from occupational cancer is estimated to be caused by asbestos. Each year around 107, 000 people die from asbestos related cancers, mesothelioma and asbestosis (fibrosis of the lung) as a result of exposure to asbestos at work. All forms of asbestos and products containing asbestos, including non-friable or 'high density' chrysotile asbestos, are considered by WHO as hazardous for human health.
Asbestos products have the potential to deteriorate and pose a risk to the community and especially to workers carrying out alterations, maintenance and demolition. World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated each year on 28 April to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally.
In collaboration with the International Labour Organization, intergovernmental organizations and civil society, WHO is actively working towards the elimination of asbestos-related diseases. The most effective way to eliminate asbestos related diseases is to stop the use of all types of asbestos. Raising awareness about the harmful effects of asbestos is part of an international campaign intended to focus attention on emerging trends in the field of occupational safety and health and on the magnitude of work-related injuries, diseases and fatalities worldwide.A healthy environment is also a prerequisite for good health. Expert assessment indicates that the development of healthier work and living environments can help prevent up to one quarter of the premature deaths from communicable and non-communicable diseases.
