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Cancer Deaths from Asbestos at all time high

Asbestos has been widely used in building materials and construction since the 1950s. The dust produced can cause a cancer of the lung lining.

Recent research has concluded that deaths from cancer caused by exposure to asbestos dust are at an all-time high.

Since the 1980's, the death rate from mesothelioma has increased more than four-fold in men throughout the east of England. The Health and Safety Executive stated that the increase had overtaken cases in Scotland and Wales and in all but one English region. In the county of Essex, coroners had recorded 115 verdicts of death from industrial diseases in 2010. The majority of these deaths were asbestos-related. In the east of England, the male death rate from mesothelioma increased from 14.8 per million between 1982 and 1984 to 66.4 per million between 2006 and 2008.

West Midlands has a greater increase of mesothelioma cases.

In Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, coroners recorded 10 verdicts of death from industrial diseases in 2010, and in Northamptonshire there was 24 recorded.

Many people who started out in the building trade were exposed to asbestos dust when they were an apprentice. When the disease is diagnosed, the victims do not usually have very long to live. Sufferers from mesothelioma usually lose an incredible amount of weight. It is not uncommon for a healthy man of around 13stone in weight to drop to around 8stone in a matter of months.

Because there is usually a long time between the initial exposure to asbestos dust and the onset of mesothelioma, the figures that reflect occupational exposures will continue to increase. The Health and Safety Executive have said that they expect deaths from mesothelioma to continue to rise for the next five years.

Asbestos was used very extensively right up until 1999 when it was finally banned so there are a massive stock of buildings with asbestos-containing materials still present. Sadly, it is not just men who worked with asbestos who are at risk of contracting mesothelioma. As well as people working in construction and related industries, mesothelioma has claimed the lives of women who have inhaled asbestos dust when they handled or washed their husband's work clothes. It may also be that countless children who hugged their father on his return work would not also be at risk at some time in the future.

Deaths from industrial diseases in 2010

Source: Coroners statistics for England and Wales/Ministry of Justice

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