The total number of workers in the north-east of England who are suffering from mesothelioma has reached the highest levels ever recorded. And worse still, an extensive research report by the British government Health and Safety Executive states that the number of people diagnosed with mesothelioma is not likely to reach its maximum until the year 2016.

The study implies that workers in this industrial region will continue to be treated for mesothelioma, a cancer affecting the fluid surrounding the lungs, for many years to come. Mesothelioma is a rare and typically fatal form of cancer that is frequently caused by long-term exposure to asbestos fibers. Patients with mesothelioma often die within eighteen months of diagnosis. With incidences of mesothelioma on the rise, the Health and Safety Executive is treating this situation as a regional and national health crisis.

Investigators at the Health and Safety Executive have predicted that the number of mesothelioma cases will continue to increase for at least another seven years. Reports show that a total of 2,046 men died due to mesothelioma in 2005 and 2,058 in 2006, increasing to 2,156 in 2007. Results from the Health and Safety Executive study also examined the frequency of incidence among females. Given that jobs that require exposure to asbestos are in male-dominated sectors like construction, demolition and mining, male patients had an incidence rate which was five times higher than their female co-workers.

However, the death rate amongst females rose at a steeper rate. Between 2002 and 2004, the death rate from malignant mesothelioma among female workers was 11.19 per million, compared to 87.08 per million among males. Whereas between 2005 to 2007, the death rate from mesothelioma among females jumped up to 16.41 per million, showing an increase of over forty-six percent from the previous three years. The death rate among male workers during that same time period was 89.52 per million, equating to an increase of less than three percent.

During the 50s and 60s, north-eastern England was an industrial center, with many facilities specializing in coal mining and the shipbuilding industry. Many of these facilities were using asbestos in their manufacturing and mining processes. Although women were not typically employed in these areas at that time, the theory is that many of the women who contracted mesothelioma did so by being exposed to the asbestos fibers that clung to the male worker’s clothing.

A Health and Safety Executive representative asserted that asbestos exposure for workers in the north-eastern area of England was not simply a problem of the past, but still posed a serious health hazzard to modern workers. Although the British government instituted a total ban on asbestos-containing materials in early 2000, at least half a million foreign-owned companies in Britain still operated facilities containing asbestos at varying levels. According to the Health and Safety Executive spokesman, asbestos remains as “Britain’s biggest industrial killer”.

One of the key initiatives that the Health and Safety Executive office is likely to implement is an asbestos education program for both workers on the ground and supervisors and managers of the affected facilities. Agency officials have also warned that they would step up their efforts to prosecute those companies that did not follow the strict guidelines in cleaning up and disposing of the toxic material. This included providing workers with protective clothing and breathing masks, as well as minimizing the danger of exposure to asbestos amongst the general public.

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