The incidence of women suffering from mesothelioma cancer has remained constant – despite an increasing trend in asbestos related cancer – according to a report by the National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI).
The NCRI report – “Cancer Trends – Mesothelioma” – reveals that the incidence of women suffering from mesothelioma cancer did not increase between 1994 and 2010, despite a 100 percent increase in the diagnosis of asbestos related cancer during the same period.
On average, four women each year die from mesothelioma cancer due to fibres brought home by their tradesmen husbands on clothes, and the report claims that secondary exposure to asbestos is more probable in women who are less likely to have direct work-related exposure.
The report goes on to say that 90 percent of women suffering from mesothelioma cancer are, or have been, married compared to 77 percent of all female cancer patients, and – somewhat alarmingly – that 18 percent of women suffering from mesothelioma cancer are diagnosed while under fifty years of age, compared to just 3 percent for men.
Asbestos was mostly used in industry in Ireland from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. It was banned from use in the construction and shipbuilding industries between 1194 and 1998, and a general prohibition on its use was introduced in 2004 under EU legislation.
There is a very poor prognosis for women suffering from mesothelioma cancer. Patients diagnosed between 1994 and 2009 had just a 4.5 percent chance in surviving more than five years, and overall 71 percent of patients are known to have died within one year of being diagnosed.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) warned that although asbestos is now banned, products or materials containing asbestos still exist. The Authority said that units containing asbestos which are already installed or in service can remain in place until they are safely disposed of or reach the end of their service life.