More women dying of asbestos-related cancer

A worrying increase in the number of women killed by mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, has been pinpointed by the latest official statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive. The disease was mentioned as the cause of death for 384 women in 2008 compared with 1,865 men, up from 289 women and 1,759 men in 2005.

Alarmingly, many of those suffering from the disease had not worked in industries traditionally associated with asbestos. Consultant surgeon John Edwards told the Daily Mirror newspaper that clinicians are concerned that the cancer may be attributable to “low level” exposure, such as asbestos found in internal walls or ceiling panels.