According to a new study, 1 in 17 British carpenters born in the 1940s will develop fatal mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos during their employment.
The British Journal of Cancer published results of the study, which was funded by Cancer Research UK and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the government agency responsible for overseeing workplace health and safety. The retrospective study involved interviews of more than 600 mesothelioma patients and 1400 healthy patients in an effort to determine the connection between mesothelioma and specific careers. The study was the largest study of its kind ever conducted in the world.
Specifically, the study indicated males born in the 1940s who were employed as carpenters for at least 10 years prior to their 30th birthdays have a 1 in 17 lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma. The risk was 1 in 50 for plumbers and electricians with the same criteria, and 1 in 125 for other construction workers.
The HSE commissioned the research because they were particularly interested in determining if an increased level of mesothelioma existed in the population born in the 1940s, which has experienced a potentially greater exposure than those born later. Generally, the risk of mesothelioma is greater is people who are exposed to asbestos prior to age 30.
The HSE also noted previous studies, which have indicated that asbestos risks that cause mesothelioma generally are also responsible for an equal number of cases of asbestos-related lung cancer. When considered together, HSE representatives said the actual overall risk of asbestos-related cancers in ‘baby-boomer’ carpenters is closer to 1 in 10.
Surprisingly, the study also revealed that fully two-thirds of men and one-quarter of women have worked in careers that posed a potential risk of asbestos exposure at some point in their working lives. A much lower risk was shown to exist in individuals who lived with a person who had been exposed to asbestos in the workplace.
In contrast, the overall risk of developing asbestos cancer is 1 in 1,000 for the UK population which has not had that type of occupational exposure.
Regulations introduced in the UK in the 1970s limited asbestos exposure in factories, but other industries remained unaffected until later legislation. In fact, a type of asbestos known as “brown asbestos” remained in use in some construction in the UK until the 1980s. Carpenters and other workers in the construction industry were frequently exposed to the material when using power tools at the worksite. The study’s researchers say they believe this exposure is the underlying cause of the rise of mesothelioma cases in the UK today.
More than 2,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year in the UK, and the condition occurs roughly five times more often in men than in women. The UK has one of the highest mesothelioma-related death rates in the world.
The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center is accredited by the Health On The Net Foundation and has been recognized by DisabilityInfo.gov. Through their public outreach efforts and the distribution of informational materials, the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center focuses on increasing awareness of asbestos-related disease. The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center is also the proud recipient of an EcoSite Award for their dedication to promoting environmental awareness and the safety and health of all people.
For more information, please visit the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center.
Source:
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
British Journal of Cancer
