Dangers of Overseas Travel

Hi thrillseekers and welcome to the first installment of my blog - Doc Silver's Amazing World.

Well, the world is an amazing place, and one of the privileges of living in this day and age is the opportunity to travel the world. The world has never been such a small place due to the prevalence of airline travel, and the cost of travel has never been so low, due to competition and budget airlines.

However, leaving Australia to visit another country can be a hazardous business. The Department of Foreign Affairs publishes country-specific warnings to help us in our choice of destination, and it's always a good idea to check out their website. But one factor that seems to be overlooked is the difference in public safety and regulations in different countries. There are many ways that lower, or absent, safety standards can endanger the well-being of tourists.

As an example of this, I have been investigating the current situation regarding ASBESTOS. Here in Australia, we are all pretty aware of the dangers of asbestos, and the continuing toll of fatal illnesess such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestos mining is banned, and the use of asbestos is pretty much completely banned. Yet asbestos remains all around us, and care must be taken. There are strict regulations regarding the removal of asbestos when demolishing or renovating buildings for example, to prevent exposure of workers and the general public.

However, go to other countries, and asbestos is still mined, and still used in building and manufacturing. Countries where asbestos is still legal and actively employed include China, India and Russia. So what happens when you go overseas, and walk past a dusty building site? Or say you are on business, and visit a factory where asbestos is used in the production process? Safety standards are not the same in these countries, and the visitor risks breathing in a lung-full of asbestos fibres. Once back home, the effects could take years to develop.

One country has an unusual and quite unsavoury position when it comes to asbestos. In Canada, it is illegal to use asbestos for most purposes, yet it is still mined. 96% of mined asbestos from Canada is exported, to countries like India. Apparently it is okay to mine it, because it keeps people in jobs, but not okay to use it, unless you are in a third world country where the health and safety of people apparently don't matter.

Anyway, next time I hope to have a more cheery subject. Meanwhile, safe travelling, wherever you go!