Spotlight On – Asbestos Related Diseases

Asbestos-Related Diseases:

Every year, asbestos causes around 5,000 deaths in the UK. It remains the single cause of work-related deaths in the UK.

Asbestos isn’t yet a thing of the past – asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before the year 2000. Current estimates suggest that there are still up to 1.3million workers are at risk of asbestos exposure.

The Facts: 

Every year, asbestos causes around 5,000 deaths in the UK. It remains the single cause of work-related deaths in the UK.

Asbestos isn’t yet a thing of the past – asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before the year 2000. Current estimates suggest that there are still up to 1.3million workers are at risk of asbestos exposure.

When asbestos-containing materials are disturbed, fibres are released into the air. If inhaled, they can cause serious diseases. These often take a long time to develop, and it is often too late to do anything after diagnosis.

Asbestos-Related Diseases:

• Mesothelioma
  Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the mesothelial cells. These cells make up the lining that covers most of the body’s organs. Mesothelioma usually develops 20-60 years after initial exposure to asbestos. There are two main types of mesothelioma. The first and most common type is pleural mesothelioma, which develops in the tissue covering the lungs. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, high temperature, a persistent cough, and weight loss. The second type is peritoneal mesothelioma, which develops in the lining of the abdomen. Symptoms include pain or swelling of the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation. Unfortunately, the outlook for mesothelioma is poor because it is usually exposed diagnosed at a late stage, and most people die within three years of diagnosis. Every year, there are about 2,300 deaths from mesothelioma in the UK.
• Asbestos-related lung cancer
  Asbestos-related lung cancer looks the same as lung cancer caused by smoking. It is estimated that for every case of mesothelioma, there is also a case of asbestos-related lung cancer. This would imply that over 2,000 deaths a year are caused by asbestos-related lung cancer.
• Asbestosis
  Asbestosis is a chronic lung condition that is usually caused by prolonged exposure to a high number of fibres is usually necessary. Asbestosis is a result of the asbestos fibres scarring lungs. Symptoms of asbestosis include shortness of breath, a persistent cough, wheezing, fatigue, chest pain, and swollen fingertips. Asbestosis sufferers have a higher risk of developing other related conditions such as pleural disease, mesothelioma or lung cancer. More people die as a result of these complications than from asbestosis itself.
• Pleural Thickening
  As with asbestosis, pleural thickening is usually a result of prolonged and heavy asbestos exposure. This is where the lining of the lungs, known as pleura, thickens and swells. This can cause it to squeeze the lung itself, causing shortness of breath and chest pain. Over the last ten years, there have been between 400-500 new cases each year.

Working safely with asbestos:

The HSE provides information on working safely with asbestos here.

There is also an HSE Beware Asbestos campaign running at the moment, which is promoting safer work with asbestos. A free app is available here, and more information on the campaign can be found in our blog post here.

Safe work with asbestos has come a long way in the last twenty years – but there’s still a long way to go and plenty of work to be done in the area. Our past articles on the topic can be found here.

Get in touch with us @safety_matters if you want to carry on the discussion!