Australia Says Meso Cases Quadrupled in Last 20 Years
This week, the Asbestos Disease Society of Australia announced that cases of the deadly asbestos-caused cancer mesothelioma have quadrupled over the last two decades.
According to an article in Scopical Australia, cases of the disease continue to grow, with a peak expected in about 2020. The study also noted that 85 percent of all new cases were diagnosed in men, mostly those who have worked in the many industries in Australia that made widespread use of the toxic mineral before it was banned.
Leigh Hubbard, the Executive Director at the Asbestos Diseases Society, said that further investment was needed by both Federal and State Governments in removing asbestos from homes and workplaces around Australia.
“This requires pulling the States together and ensuring that there is a national plan to identify and eradicate asbestos from our workplaces, homes and community buildings over the next decade,” Mr. Hubbard said.
“While there is legislation to ensure home-owners put fences around pools, there is no requirement to audit their houses for asbestos and no legal obligation for them to warn tradespeople, tenants or prospective purchasers about the hazard.”
Hubbard called on the government to increase funding for research into more and better treatments for mesothelioma. Currently, most individuals who develop the disease die within a year or two of diagnosis.
“Researchers report significant advances, but they are working on shoestring budgets. The Howard Government put in $10 Million through the NHMRC in 2006/7 but we need triple that amount to make a real breakthrough,” he said.
Mr. Hubbard said that although there remained debate over the level of those affected, the group expected the numbers to rise to about 700-800 cases per year after 2020.
