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Latest Asbestos Disease Statistics Released
On 28th October 2009 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) released figures on asbestos diseases. The statistics coincide with a £1.2 million campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of working with asbestos.
The “Asbestos: Hidden Killer” campaign was launched on 2nd November and runs for 4 weeks. The campaign hopes to highlight the problems with asbestos and inform workers of when they could be working with asbestos and what they should do to protect themselves.
Around 20 tradesmen die from asbestos-related diseases each week and the numbers are increasing. Exposure to asbestos is the single biggest cause of work-related deaths. Around 4,000 people a year die due to asbestos-related disease, this is more than the number of deaths on the road each year. Unfortunately, due to tradesmen and workers already having been exposed to asbestos as many as 50 years ago, the number of deaths will continue to rise.
Asbestosis
In 2007 there were 96 deaths where asbestosis was listed as being the underlying cause on the death certificate.
In 2007 a total of 380 death certificates included asbestosis.
Meosthelioma
In 1968 the number of deaths due to mesothelioma was 153. In 2007 this has risen to 2156.
The number of male deaths due to mesothelioma is expected to increase further and peak around the year 2016.
The most common occupations for men who died due to mesothelioma are plumbers, electricians, joiners, carpenters, heating and ventilation engineers and electrical fitters.
Asbestos-related lung cancer
It is thought likely that there are as many deaths due to asbestos related lung cancer as there are due to mesothelioma each year.
Diffuse pleural thickening
In 2008, 400 new cases of disablement due to pleural thickening were registered.