Hugh James

Action Mesothelioma Day - Raising Awareness of Asbestos Cancer

On Wednesday 27th February 2008 the third Action Mesothelioma Day will be held across the UK.

Action Mesothelioma Day is organised by the British Lung Foundation in association with various other asbestos support groups.  The day is a chance to raise awareness and promote understanding of this terrible condition and to remember those with the disease, those lives already lost to the disease and the families, loved ones and colleagues left behind. 

Mesothelioma is a terminal form of cancer.  It is very rare in the absence of asbestos exposure.  There is no cure and in the UK 1 person dies every 5 hours from it.  The average survival rate for someone diagnosed with the condition is only about 12 months.

The number of people being diagnosed with the condition is predicted to increase in the future with a peak expected in about 2015. 

Much more needs to done in Wales to raise the profile of this terminal condition. The government published the Mesothelioma Framework in 2007 to improve the care provided to mesothelioma patients but the framework was not made mandatory. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_072348  

More is needed to put pressure on the government to increase funding for care, research and treatments.

Cases of mesothelioma used to occur mainly in people who had worked in ship building or heavy engineering. With the history of heavy industry in South Wales in particular mesothelioma has had a major impact here.

Increasingly those at highest risk of developing the disease are individuals who have had less intense exposure: such as in the building industry as carpenters, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters.  A recent British Lung Foundation Survey has highlighted how unaware people in these trades are of the risks of this disease.

http://www.lunguk.org/media-and-campaigning/media-centre/latestpressreleases/BLFsurveyrevealsalarmingignoranceofasbestosriskamongsttradespeople.htm

Many people, who are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma, have simply worked in buildings where asbestos construction materials have been used and have developed the condition as a result of the materials being disturbed. HSE provides excellent information at http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm to assist in identification of where asbestos may be found in buildings and how to deal with it. People whose work involves renovation, maintenance and redecoration of buildings are particularly at risk.   

A significant number of people are at risk of mesothelioma and it is absolutely vital that awareness is raised to ensure that employers take all proper precautions to protect their employees against asbestos dust.

If you or a member of your family have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or have been exposed to asbestos and would like to talk to one of our asbestos claims solicitors please email carol.keating@hughjames.com or telephone her on 01685 371122.  More information is also available on our asbestos site. 

http://www.hughjames.com/personal/groupactions/asbestos-claims/index.html

25 | 02 | 08