Lung diseases are on the increase

A report by the British Thoracic Society has revealed a rapid rise in lung diseases caused by work.

Published last month, The burden of lung disease 2006 found that there were over 2,000 deaths from occupational lung disease in Great Britain in 2002, representing a 50% increase over the previous decade. This is mostly the result of a rise in deaths from mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung caused by inhaling asbestos dust, which now accounts for four-fifths of all occupational lung disease deaths.

Unsurprisingly, mortality rates vary widely between job types: men aged 20-64 in unskilled manual occupations are around 14 times more likely to die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and nine times more likely to die from tuberculosis than men employed in professional roles, for example.

Overall, respiratory disease caused more than 117,000 deaths in 2002 - well above the European average - with roughly the same numbers of women and men affected. Almost half of all deaths (44%) are associated with social inequalities - a stronger link than for any other type of disease.

The report can be downloaded from www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/c2/uploads/finalproof.pdf