MesotheliomaWeb.Org functions as a preeminent source for the latest updates on mesothelioma and other asbestos-related lung diseases. This site supplies news on the most recent advancements in treating and tracking the spread of mesothelioma, a form of cancer that strikes the soft tissue around the lungs. Safe Work Australia, the country’s agency in charge of worker health and safety issues, released its report on mesothelioma mortality rates, entitled “Mesothelioma in Australia Incidence: 1982 – 2006, Mortality 1997 – 2007.”
Australia’s Business and World News reported, Safe Work Australia Chairman Tom Phillips stated that his agency’s report includes data on the amount of new mesothelioma cases that have occurred over the last ten years. As part of the National Mortality Database, agencies such as the National Cancer Statistics Clearing House and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare compiled the data on mesothelioma rates throughout the country.
From 1997 to 2007, according to the Safe Work report, the number of mesothelioma deaths showed a general upward trend. In 2007, the report shows more than five hundred fatalities due to malignant mesothelioma, compared to 486 in 2006. Mr. Phillips was reported to say that asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, often show long periods where the patients do not exhibit symptoms. He said that he expects the mesothelioma death rate to continue to climb during the next decade.
It was reported that Julia Gillard, Australia’s Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, announced the launch of the Australian Mesothelioma Registry on 30 April. The date is also known as Workers’ Memorial Day and commemorates workers who died either on the job or due to employment-related complications. The new registry will replace the previous Australian Mesothelioma Register, which has been in place since 1985, and will be under the direction of the Cancer Institute of New South Wales.
The Cancer Institute, which also manages the state’s Cancer Registry, will manage the massive undertaking as part of a consortium of public health groups and government agencies. The task of collecting data on affected patients will fall to researchers at the Monash Center for Occupational and Environmental Health in Melbourne. Other groups in the consortium will offer advice on scientific research efforts and medical treatment options.
Mr. Phillips expressed the importance of such data tracking, as these reports will help both government health officials and the medical community develop more effective plans for the growing problem. Australia’s Business and World News also reported he said that the registry was another step in the plan to establish more accurate and thorough records to track the extent of asbestos contamination throughout the country. He mentioned that, although the use and manufacture of asbestos-containing materials has been under heavy government regulation for more than thirty years, workers are reporting more instances of asbestos-related diseases each year.
Asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma. Unprotected workers often inhale the microscopic fibers, which embed themselves into the tissue around the lungs. Patients diagnosed with mesothelioma seldom live more than twelve months. These patients frequently exhibit shortness of breath, chest congestion and fluid buildup in the lungs.
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