Summary

Mesothelioma is a formerly rare form of cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective sac that covers most of the body's internal organs. It principally affects the pleura (lining of the lungs) and peritoneum (surrounding the lower digestive tract). Most of the people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos fibres. Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. The long delay between initial exposure to asbestos and death from mesothelioma is typically between 30 and 40 years. It means that deaths occurring now and most of those expected to occur in the future reflect industrial conditions of the past rather than current work practices. This latency period means that the effectiveness of current controls cannot yet be assessed from the mesothelioma mortality figures. A history of asbestos exposure at work is associated with about 85 percent of all cases in men. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.

• The annual number of mesothelioma deaths has increased from 153 in 1968 to 2056 in 2006.
• Occupations with the highest risk of mesothelioma for males include: carpenters and joiners, plumbers; heating and ventilating engineers and electricians; electrical fitters.
• The latest projections suggest that the annual total number of mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain is estimated to peak somewhere between current levels and 2450 deaths sometime before 2015.