Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by asbestos, it affects the lining of the body’s organs, most commonly in the lungs and the abdomen. Although recently, there have been huge steps in the treatment of mesothelioma through immunotherapy, ultimately, there is no cure for the disease.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral with heat, electric and corrosion resistant properties. The thin asbestos fibres make it flexible and because of these useful properties, asbestos has been widely used in the construction industry.
How does asbestos cause mesothelioma?
Asbestos fibres are very small and when they are inhaled or ingested, they get stuck in the lungs or stomach. Overtime, the fibres can cause inflammation and scarring and, in some cases, the asbestos fibres can change the cells surrounding them, causing uncontrollable cancer cell growth.
It can take years after exposure to asbestos for cells to change and for the symptoms of mesothelioma to be shown. It is estimated that it can be as few as 10 years and as many as 50 years after the exposure to asbestos for someone to be affected by it.
The dangers of asbestos
The ill-effects of asbestos have been known for a very long time. As far back as the Ancient Egyptians, it was noted that slaves who were wrapping the embalmed bodies of Pharaohs in asbestos cloth, were suffering from lung illness.
In the UK, the first reported death due to asbestos was in 1924 when Nellie Kershaw, a textile worker for Turner Brothers Asbestos died due to fibrosis of the lungs. However, asbestos continued to be used despite the fact that by 1965 it was known that even very low levels of exposure to asbestos could cause mesothelioma. Shockingly, industry giants at the time tried to stop the risks of asbestos being known and a recent ruling against Cape has highlighted this.
Asbestos in the UK
In the UK, amphibole or blue and brown asbestos was banned in 1985 and the importation, supply and use of all other asbestos was banned in 1999. Before the bans were put in place, asbestos was widely used in insulation material, construction materials such as cement and floor tiles, and in brake shoes and pads for vehicles.
Asbestos around the world
Amazingly, there are many countries today that still have not banned asbestos. Many countries still import and export the deadly material and continue to allow its use. It may surprise many people that amongst the countries still using asbestos are the United States, China, Russia and India. Even Canada did not ban the import, manufacture or use of asbestos until 2018 and they still allow it to be used in nuclear facilities and road infrastructure.
Asbestos ban reduces mesothelioma
A recent study, published in JAMA Network Open, has looked at how asbestos bans affected the incidence of mesothelioma. They looked at case data collected between 1990 and 2017 from 195 countries and territories and found that the rates of mesothelioma in countries that banned the use of asbestos, dropped around 20 years after the ban was put in place and in some countries it took between 20 and 30 years to see a drop.
Mesothelioma rates in the UK
It has now been 22 years since asbestos was banned in the UK. Between 2012 and 2018, the average annual number of deaths due to mesothelioma was 2,540 and in 2019, there were 2,369 deaths due to mesothelioma. If deaths due to mesothelioma are decreasing in the UK, it is happening very slowly.
Whilst new asbestos products have not been used in the country since 1999, any asbestos used before this time could still be in place. Therefore, the dangers of asbestos exposure did not disappear with the introduction of the ban. Sadly, we hear all the time from people who have recently been exposed to asbestos. Many times these are people who work in construction and regulations have not been followed to ensure the safety of workers, and the result is that someone is exposed to asbestos and then has a wait of up to 50 years to see if they will be one of the unlucky ones to develop mesothelioma.
If you require assistance in pursuing an asbestos compensation claim for mesothelioma or any other asbestos disease then please contact us today on our freephone number 0800 038 6767. Alternatively, head over to the ‘Contact Us’ page, complete the form and we will be in touch.
Sources:
Zhai Z, Ruan J, et al. Assessment of Global Trends in the Diagnosis of Mesothelioma From 1990 to 2017. JAMA Network Open. November 2021;4(8):e2120360. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.20360