A recent study has found that for every four to five reported cases of mesothelioma worldwide, at least one case has been overlooked and has remained unreported.  The study, published in the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives, is the first to provide a global estimate of unreported cases of mesothelioma and highlights the true cost of the use of asbestos worldwide.

Mesothelioma is a cancer almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos dust.  There is a long latency period between exposure to asbestos and the development of symptoms and unfortunately the prognosis is extremely poor.  Information on the disease tends to come from developed countries that have a known history of asbestos use and the resources to diagnose asbestos related diseases.  Statistics on mesothelioma in developing countries remain extremely limited and it is thought that the disease is grossly underreported, even in countries known to have an extensive history of asbestos use.  It is thought that there is a high level of under diagnosis and/or underreporting in countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, China and India due to a lack of awareness, knowledge and resources.  

The authors of the study used the number of mesothelioma deaths per country rather than the number of reported cases for their calculations.  It was thought that this would provide a more accurate result as in many countries deaths from mesothelioma tend to be more uniformly and accurately reported than diagnoses. 

The study examined the use of asbestos in 89 countries from 1920 to 1970 and then looked at the number of mesothelioma deaths reported in those countries between 1994 and 2008.  It was found that cumulative asbestos use in 89 countries, which accounted for more than 82% of the global population in the year 2000, totalled more than 65 million metric tons during 1920-1970.   The USA, Russia, UK, Germany and Japan had the most asbestos use.  For the 56 countries, that had data on mesothelioma, there were approximately 174,300 deaths during 1994-2008.

A country’s cumulative use of asbestos in previous decades was found to clearly and reliably predict numbers of mesothelioma deaths in the countries with data on the disease.  When the authors of the study applied this information to the 33 countries not reporting mesothelioma data, they estimated 38,900 additional mesothelioma cases may have occurred in these countries during that same 15 year period but were unreported.  These counties which include Russia, China, Kazakhstan, India and Thailand should anticipate the need to deal with a very high burden of mesothlioma in the decades ahead.

Ken Takahashi, one of the co-authors of the study, said: “Our most important finding is the magnitude of unreported mesothelioma in countries that use asbestos at substantial levels but report no cases of the disease.”  He goes on to state than any country that uses asbestos is certain to have cases of mesothelioma and notes that the estimates in the study may be conservative because both asbestos use and mesothelioma may be underreported in the countries used as the basis for their estimates.

The authors propose that every country should ban the mining, use and export of asbestos because mesothelioma can be prevented by eliminating exposure to asbestos.  They also recommend that developed countries share their experience and technology to help developing countries better diagnose, report and manage mesothelioma cases.

Contact details:

Joanne Waterson

About John Pickering and Partners LLP

John Pickering and Partners LLP- Specialist mesothelioma compensation solicitors

We are a dedicated personal injury law firm who do not do other types of work.  We specialise in claiming damages for asbestos sufferers. We have been handling compensation claims for industrial disease for over 30 years. Most of our work involves acting for asbestos disease victims who suffer from mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and pleural thickening. We only act for the sufferers of asbestos diseases and never act for the organisations that caused the asbestos exposure or their insurers. We have an ethical approach and donate 10% of our net profits every year to good causes that help asbestos sufferers.  We have set up a charitable trust to help to fund medical research into mesothelioma and various organisations that help and support asbestos sufferers and their families.

Find out more about our donations to good causes. We have also been involved in most of the landmark judgments that shape this area of law. Find out more about us or  our reported cases. We are on the panels of several asbestos support groups and are ranked highly by legal guides.  Find out more about what others have said about us.

John Pickering and Partners LLP is a niche legal practice that has represented Claimants in the leading asbestos "test cases" in the last ten years. The firm represented Sylvia Barker in Barker v Corus (UK) Plc, a case that highlighted the legal tactics of employers and insurers trying to cut back their compensation liabilities to mesothelioma sufferers, and which prompted the amendment of the Compensation Act 2006 to ensure full compensation for mesothelioma claims. The firm represented two of the three Claimants in the landmark Fairchild appeal, in which the insurance industry tried unsuccessfully to block compensation altogether for mesothelioma sufferers unable to identify which of two or more sources of asbestos exposure had caused their illness.

The firm represented Alice Jefferson, a mesothelioma sufferer, whose illness and compensation claim against Cape Asbestos were featured in the important documentary "Alice: A Fight For Life." Shown by Yorkshire Television in July 1982, the programme was an important catalyst for legal change and public awareness of the plight of mesothelioma and other asbestos disease sufferers and a prompt for important legal reform.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the lining of certain bodily organs. It most commonly affects the lining of the lungs (the pleura) but it can affect other areas including organs in the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum).

More than 2,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma every year in the UK and there is one mesothelioma death every five hours. The number of deaths from mesothelioma increased from 153 in 1968 to 1,969 in 2004 and is expected to peak at 2,450 between 2011 and 2015. 

The first Action Mesothelioma Day was launched on 27th February 2006.  Its objectives were to raise awareness about mesothelioma, to improve the treatment and care of mesothelioma patients, and to lobby for better funding for research into mesothelioma and for the protection and education of people who may be exposed to asbestos.

If you need advice about an asbestos related illness, contact us now for information about making a claim for compensation. 

Contact us to find out more about your entitlement to claim compensation if you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer or pleural thickening.

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