Malignant mesothelioma: Asbestos exposure

Abstract

Asbestos is a recognized high–profile health hazard with an estimated total cancer burden from malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer in industrialized countries to be in theorder of 30,000 cancers per year (Tossavainen A, People Work ResRep. 14: 8–27, 1997) with further deaths related to lung fibrosis (asbestosis) and complications of asbestos-related diffuse pleural thickening. Projections for the 1995–2029 period suggest that male mesothelioma deaths will double over the next 20 years to a peak of 9,000 in 2018 and then decline, with an estimated 250,000 deaths up to 2025in Europe (Peto J, Decarli A, La Vecchia C et al. Br J Cancer. 79: 666–72, 1999).