March 16th, 2007

According to the results of a recent study carried out in Australia, men are more likely to develop the asbestos related cancer known as mesothelioma than women, even when both sexes are exposed to the same levels of this carcinogenic substance. Researchers have been studying both sexes that have suffered asbestos exposure in the western Australia area.

According to the head researcher in the study, Alison Reid, the area was studied for a specific reason: “This was an asbestos mining and milling town that closed in 1966 but still provides us with a legacy of asbestos-related diseases.”

According to the results of the study the mesothelioma rates for men were consistently higher than those for women, even where the two sexes had been exposed to the same level of asbestos. Nearly five thousand residents that had been exposed to asbestos were used in the study.

“The asbestos epidemic is almost past its peak in the developed world,” said Reid. “But elsewhere it will just be starting. It is still being used in many developing countries – where they have little or no regulation about its use, worker protection or means of treatment.”