Occupational, domestic and environmental mesothelioma risks in Britain: a case-control study
"UK mesothelioma mortality is the highest worldwide, but no large case-control study with personal interviews has been conducted. We obtained lifetime occupational and residential histories from 622 mesothelioma patients (512 men, 110 women) and 1420 population controls. The lifetime risk was a...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Institution: | ETUI-European Trade Union Institute |
| Format: | TEXT |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sudbury
2009
HSE Books |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19188357124919065399-occupational,-domestic-and-env.htm |
| Summary: | "UK mesothelioma mortality is the highest worldwide, but no large case-control study with personal interviews has been conducted. We obtained lifetime occupational and residential histories from 622 mesothelioma patients (512 men, 110 women) and 1420 population controls. The lifetime risk was about 1 per 1,000 in men and women with no occupational or domestic asbestos exposure, irrespective of the type of building they lived or worked in, and 2 per 1,000 in exposed workers' relatives. The average LR per 1000 for 10 years duration before age 30 was 59 among carpenters, who constituted 4% of controls and 21% of cases among men, 20 for plumbers, electricians and painters, and 8 for other construction workers. Other high-risk occupations included lagging and shipyard work, with lower risks in various industrial sectors where asbestos was also encountered. The predicted total of -90,000 mesotheliomas in the UK by 2050 will include about 15,000 former carpenters. The risk persisted in men beginning work after 1970 when crocidolite was no longer used. An important factor underlying the very high risk in British construction workers, particularly carpenters, is likely to be the widespread use of power tools on amosite insulation board, which continued with no effective dust control until the 1980s. Asbestos exposure was common in the workplace, with 65% of male and 23% of female controls having worked in occupations that were classified as medium or higher risk.The increase in female cases in the UK, many with no identified exposure, suggests widespread environmental contamination from industrial and construction activities." |
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| Physical Description: | 63 p. Digital |