MORE than 3 per cent of men in Europe will die of asbestos-related diseases,
the Congress of the European Respiratory Society in Berlin heard this week.
Despite restrictions on the use of asbestos introduced 30 years ago, 30,000
new cases of asbestos-related cancer occur annually in industrialised
countries鈥攁nd they are on the increase, says Antti Tossavainen of the
Finnish Institute of Occupational 午夜福利1000集合. 鈥淚t takes 30 to 40 years for
mesothelioma cases to occur following exposure.鈥�
This deadly type of lung tumour is almost exclusively linked to asbestos. In
addition, other types of lung cancer, and asbestosis, are caused by
exposure.
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Pascal Dumortier鈥檚 team at the Erasmus Hospital in Brussels has looked for
traces of asbestos in patients鈥� lungs. While the number of patients with a heavy
asbestos load was lower than in previous years, the incidence of low to medium
levels was unchanged. Dumortier believes that this is partly due to the
continued presence of asbestos in the environment.
This is a worrying finding, because even low concentrations of asbestos in
the lungs can cause mesothelioma. And cases caused during the peak of asbestos
use in industrialised countries are only now beginning to emerge. 鈥淒iseases due
to asbestos will continue to increase for the next 10 to 20 years,鈥� says
Dumortier.
Yet experts are divided over screening high-risk groups. Mesothelioma is
incurable, but spotting other cancers early might help.