Asbestos-related lung cancer

Summary

The overall scale of asbestos related lung cancer deaths has to be estimated rather than counted. This is because it is difficult to tell these cancers apart from those due to other causes such as smoking.

The latest information shows:

• Research suggests there are probably about as many asbestos-related lung cancer deaths each year as there are mesothelioma deaths.
• This implies there are currently around 2 000 deaths each year in Great Britain due to asbestos-related lung cancer.
• The ratio of lung cancers to mesotheliomas is expected to fall over time suggesting less than one asbestos related lung cancer per mesothelioma in the future.  
• Changes in the criteria for compensation (to include individuals exposed to asbestos in certain high risk occupations) resulted in a strong increase in new cases assessed for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit from 2006. (IIDB).
• There were 315 cases assessed for disablement benefit in 2011, a much lower figure than the estimated number of annual cases based on the lung cancer to mesothelioma ratio. (IIDB).
• An estimated 122 cases of lung cancer were reported by chest and occupational physicians in 2011 although some of these will not have been caused by asbestos. (THOR).
• Lower figures based on IIDB and THOR illustrates the difficulty in attributing individual cases to occupational causes such as asbestos.

Tables

• IIDB05 Prescribed industrial diseases of the lungs and new cases of assessed disablement by disease.
• THORR01 Numbers by sex and diagnostic category, 1998 to latest year.

Scientific publications on asbestos-related lung cancer by HSE:

• Darnton AJ, McElvenny D M, Hodgson JT(2005). Estimating the number of asbestos related lung cancer deaths in Great Britain from 1980-2000. Annals of Occupational Hygiene 50(1): 29-38.