Report: Australian Mesothelioma Deaths To Continue Rising
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009A new Australian government report predicts that incidence of mesothelioma in that country will keep rising until at least 2017. The report by Safe Work Australia, which develops national policy on occupational health and safety issues, said the number of new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed annually in the nation down under has been rising dramatically since 1982, when national data first became available.
The number of new cases increased from 156 in 1982 to 597 in 2005, the report said.
Asbestos exposure in the workplace is now regulated and minimized in Australia. But because mesothelioma, a cancer closely linked to asbestos exposure, can take 20 to 40 years to appear, the number of new cases is projected to continue increasing.
The overall number of deaths from mesothelioma generally increased over the period from 1997 to 2006, the report said citing data collected by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. In 2006, there were 486 deaths attributed to mesothelioma. More than 80 percent of the deaths across the time period were men.
Mesothelioma of the pleura, a cancer affecting the protective lining of the lung and chest cavity, was by the most common form of mesothelioma diagnosed in Australia, involving 94 percent of the cases.
Mesothelioma of the peritoneal, the abdominal lining, was reported in about 5 percent of cases.
