Asbestos Exposure

ASBESTOS EXPOSURE EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS CAN CAUSE: ASBESTOSIS LUNG CANCER PLEURAL PLAQUES PLEURAL THICKENING MESOTHELIOMA MESOTHELIOMA IS A TYPE OF CANCER THAT MOST OFTEN STARTS IN THE COVERING OF THE LUNGS (PLEURAL MESOTHELIOMA) BUT CAN ALSO START E ABDOMEN (PERITONEAL MESOTHELIOMA). ASBESTOSIS IS A RESULT OF SIGNIFICANT EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS. WHEREAS MESOTHELIOMA CAN DEVELOP FROM BRIEF EXPOSURE, BUT HAS BEEN NOTED TO ONLY AFFECT THOSE WHO ARE GENETICALLY VULNERABLE. MESOTHELIOMA CAN TAKE 15-50 YEARS TO DEVELOP AND REPORTED CASES ARE EXPECTED UNTIL 2016. SINCE THE 1980S, NEW CASES OF MESOTHELIOMA HAVE RISEN BY 400% IN 2010, 2, 500 PEOPLE WERE POSITIVELY DIAGNOSED. MESOTHELIOMA GENERALLY DEVELOPS IN MEN BUT OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS, THE NUMBER OF WOMEN AFFECTED HAS INCREASED. ASBESTOS CAN STILL BE FOUND IN OLDER COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, HOMES, AND SCHOOLS. ASBESTOS TIMELINE 1920-1930 Reports suggesting the dangers of asbestos emerge. 1924 The first official asbestos-related death. Nellie Kershaw died from "pulmonary asbestosis". 1930 After finding high levels of asbestosis in asbestos factory workers, a Government report recommends new legislation. 1931 The introduction of new Asbestos Industry Regulations meant that factories had ensure that no asbestos dust escaped into open air during the manufacturing process. 1964-1970 Emergence of research that suggested that even brief exposure to asbestos could contribute to mesothelioma, and the risk was not limited to construction workers. 1970 The Asbestos Regulations 1969 were implemented, which included strict guidelines on dust exposure limits in factories and construction. 1985 A UK ban on blue and brown asbestos, the most dangerous. 1999 A UK ban on white asbestos. DESPITE THESE FACTS, PROVEN DANGERS, AND NUMEROUS FATALITIES, THERE IS STILL NO WORLDWIDE BAN ON ASBESTOS. Blackwater Law TELEPHONE: 0800 083 5500 EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: blackwaterlaw.co.uk Design by Reflectdigital INFORMATION SOURCED FROM: www.TELEGRAPH.CO.UK www.PATIENT.CO.UK www.NHS.UK