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Call for Support for Greater Research on Asbestos-Related Disease in Great Britain

Monday, January 11, 2010

Scottish Parliament member John Park, a member of the Scottish Labor Party, urged the Scottish Government to support work to develop a national center to expand research into asbestos-related diseases in the United Kingdom.

Park, who represents the coalfields region of mid-Scotland, made his appeal during debate in the Scottish Parliament last week.

“We have a proud record of dealing with the damages aspect of asbestos in the Scottish Parliament, but there is still a desperate need for research into the causes and treatment of asbestos-related diseases,” Park said in a press release.

According to the Office of Health and Safety Executive, exposure to asbestos is the biggest single cause of work-related deaths. About 35 trades people die every week from asbestos related diseases in Great Britain.

“This is why it is so important that the Scottish Government examines the role our professionals can play in Scotland in the development of a United Kingdom Center for Asbestos-Related Diseases," Park said.

Asbestos was used extensively in Great Britain for fireproofing and insulation until the mid-1980s, according to the Office of the Health and Safety Executive. If asbestos fibers are disturbed, they can become airborne. Breathing of asbestos fibers, which can lodge in the lung, is associated with serious asbestos related diseases including mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung and abdomen.

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Labels: International News

posted by Wade Rawlins at 1:55 AM
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