Asbestosis in the Republic of Croatia

Abstract

Croatians have been exposed to asbestos in the shipbuilding and asbestos-cement industries since 1945. The first cases of asbestosis were reported in 1961; 317 cases were recorded from 1990 to 2000. The Croatian Cancer Registry recorded 248 malignant pleural mesotheliomas between 1991 and 1997, two thirds of which were attributable to occupational exposures to asbestos. The Croatian Asbestosis Patient Association was founded in 1998 to help victims. Croatian law defines the employer's responsibility for work-related health damage and compensation, but average legal proceedings for asbestosis claims take about seven years. Croatian law does not ban the manufacture and import of asbestos. Croatia as a transitional country is subject to socioeconomic pressures. Future approaches to the asbestos issue will depend on revised regulations, which are expected to conform to recommendations of the European Union by 2005.