New reports out of the UK are noticing a disturbing new trend among patients who are falling ill and dying from malignant mesothelioma: more and more of them are women.
A recent report in the Daily Mirror’s ongoing “Asbestos Timebomb” campaign revealed that new figures being released about fatality rates connected with mesothelioma have shown an increase in the number of women being affected by the deadly cancer.
According to data released by the UK’s Health and Safety Executive, mesothelioma was mentioned as the cause of death for 384 women and 1,865 men in 2008. In 2007, 347 women and 1,826 men were killed by the deadly cancer. In 2005, 289 women and 1,759 men perished.
Because a majority of professions where workers were regularly exposed to asbestos were predominantly held by men during most of the 20th Century, mesothelioma has always been seen among men in much larger numbers than women. Some experts believe the sudden rise in female mesothelioma cases can be tied to female teachers who worked at a number of UK school built in the 1960s and 1970s that contained asbestos and caused “low level” exposure to the fibers.
However, a potentially more worrisome theory that has also been considered is that low level exposure to asbestos – such as exposure a wife would receive from asbestos particles brought into her home that were not properly cleaned off her husband’s work clothes – may also be more dangerous than previously thought.
“We don’t know why the incidence in women is rising. We need further research to determine the risk of low level exposure to asbestos,” John Edwards, a consulting surgeon, told the Mirror. “The increase in males is more steady and the fact that the ratio has changed suggests that the pattern of exposure has changed.”
Further demonstrating the rising number of women being affected by mesothelioma, the Mirror also found data from Cancer Research UK that showed the womens’ death rate from mesothelioma had increased by 57 percent between 1997 and 2007. Comparatively, malignant melanoma death rates increased by 49 percent, uterine cancer by 33 percent, and kidney cancer by 23 over the same time frame.
While the information used by the Mirror is based in the UK, it should nonetheless lead to some discussion regarding a potential rise in mesothelioma rates among women stateside as well.
If you or a loved one are suffering from mesothelioma and undergoing treatment, you may be able to pursue a mesothelioma settlement if a source of asbestos exposure can be found. Contact an asbestos attorney if you would like to pursue a lawsuit against a company or former employer.
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