Where Is Asbestos Found?
Naturally occurring asbestos is found in rock formations and soil. There are six different forms of asbestos found in countries throughout the world. Until the cumulative effects of asbestos exposure proved hazardous and fatal to people’s health, mining asbestos went virtually unrestricted. Today, asbestos is banned in Australia and the European Union. While many uses of asbestos are not banned in the United States, the last U.S. asbestos mine closed in 2002.
Countries with highest asbestos production
Although the United States is no longer producing asbestos, many other countries continue mining asbestos. Occurring as veins in rock formations, asbestos is mined like other minerals. Once mined, the rock containing asbestos is crushed and milled. According to the British Geological Survey for 2009, countries with highest asbestos production were:
| Country | Metric Tons |
| Russia | 1,000,000 |
| China | 280,000 |
| Brazil | 250,000 |
| Kazakhstan | 210,000 |
| Canada | 180,000 |
| Zimbabwe | 25,000 |
In 2009, the world total asbestos production was around 2,000,000 metric tons.
Russia’s asbestos production
The largest asbestos-producing location in the world is a city in Russia named Asbest, which is 1,500 kilometers northeast of Moscow. A company called Uralasbest owns and operates the asbestos mine. The massive mine is seven miles long and one and a half miles wide. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin supports the mining of asbestos in this city of 70,000 people, and despite the prevalence of asbestos-related diseases and international contention over asbestos production, the asbestos industry employs 400,000 people.
Controversy over Canadian asbestos production
Canadian asbestos mining began in Quebec in the late 1800s and is still centered in Quebec today. The town Asbestos, Quebec was named for the industry. Canada made a stand at the United Nation’s Rotterdam Convention to keep chrysotile asbestos from being added to a list of dangerous substances. Canada mainly exports asbestos to countries such as India, Pakistan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. However, production and exportation of Canadian asbestos has steadily declined since the 1980s with 25 percent less asbestos being exported since that time.