A new analysis revealing startling per capita asbestos consumption rates in Central Asia raises significant concerns about future mesothelioma diagnoses. The most impacted nations are Uzbekistan, which in 2023 was using 3.4 kilograms per person annually, and Tajikistan, where consumption was equivalent to 2.34 kilograms per capita in 2023. The dramatic increase in usage in these countries shows risk surpassing larger consuming countries, including India and China.
Mesothelioma Knowledge Gap Exists in Central Asian Asbestos-Consuming Nations
There is no doubt among the scientific and medical community that exposure to all types of asbestos can cause multiple cancers, including mesothelioma, as well as other debilitating diseases. Yet despite intensive educational campaigns by international agencies, cancer research organizations, environmental associations, independent scientists, and medical experts, heavy usage continues in parts of the world where awareness remains dangerously low.
Knowledge of the dangers of mesothelioma has led to significant decreases in global asbestos use. According to the latest available data, annual global asbestos consumption in 2024 was 37% less than in 2000 and about half of 1995 levels. The world’s two biggest asbestos producers, Russia and Kazakhstan, consumed just 0.76 and 0.72 kilograms per person in 2023 respectively. But the statistics from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan far exceed those in larger consuming nations like India (0.3 kg per capita), China (0.2 kg), and Indonesia (0.32 kg).
Mesothelioma Research Reveals Asbestos Fibers in Central Asian Population’s Lungs
In 2024, scientists from the Kyrgyz Republic and Italy reported a stunning lack of mesothelioma and asbestos awareness in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The researchers reported an information vacuum on the health impacts of asbestos exposures on workers, local people, consumers, and downstream users, as well as an overwhelming lack of “exposure assessments, epidemiological data, and biochemical or clinical surveys.”
Seven months after this study was published, an article titled “Assessment of asbestos exposure in Kyrgyzstan through analysis of raw and processed materials, air samples and human lung tissue” appeared in the British peer-reviewed science journal Nature. Using state-of-the-art techniques, mesothelioma researchers “found a remarkable amount of chrysotile (white asbestos)” both in the air and lungs of the population living in the study area. Notably, amphibole asbestos fibers were also identified in samples of lung tissue, even though no amphibole asbestos had been mined, imported, or used in Kyrgyzstan—raising questions about mesothelioma exposure sources.
Government Development Initiatives Ignore Need for Mesothelioma Protection
According to an August 2025 article, asbestos demand in Turkmenistan was driven by government development initiatives that paid no heed to the risk of mesothelioma or other illnesses. Supporting documents made no mention of worker protection for those hired to crush raw asbestos and combine it with cement and water, and no acknowledgement of any health hazards posed by these toxic exposures. The study’s co-authors were adamant that strict regulation of asbestos use was “urgently needed in Central Asian countries” to prevent future mesothelioma deaths.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
