Additional features of the worldwide double standards in the prevention of asbestos-related diseases.

A search has been made through Pubmed-Medline in order to quantify the production of epidemiological studies on the consequences of asbestos in different countries. Worldwide, very little epidemiological knowledge on the consequences of occupational and environmental exposure to asbestos has been gathered in countries known to be the major producers and/or consumers of asbestos. The only exception is Canada, which ranks third among asbestos producers and exports most of its production. A handful of papers carried out in Brazil are briefly commented in order to highlight the difficulties that epidemiological investigations face in developing countries.