March 22nd, 2005
People from the UK have highlighted concerns and started a campaign with regards to sufferers of the asbestos related cancer, mesothelioma. This is a form of cancer directly linked to exposure to asbestos, and can affect the heart, lungs, or abdominal regions. This cancer can also shorten lifespan to a matter of months from the onset of symptoms, and around 1,800 people in the UK alone die from this cancer each year, with numbers still expected to rise.
A conference arranged by the British Lung Foundation is set to take place in the near future, and here demands will be made for an increase in funding and research into mesothelioma within the UK. The Department of Health has already stated that it is currently reviewing the funding and research into this disease, giving campaigners hope that there may be a change for the better in these areas in the near future.
In the 1960s, the number of people dying from this form of cancer was a couple of hundred each year. This has now risen to nearly 2,000 each year, and figures are expected to continue to rise for another 10 years or so. By the middle of this century, it is likely that close to 100,000 people will have died from mesothelioma.
The British Lung Foundation Chief Executive stated: "Mesothelioma is a particularly cruel disease because sufferers simply contract it through their choice of job, where they live, who they live with or in some way they could never have known about. The government needs to make it more of a priority, it was hardly mentioned in the 2000 Cancer Plan and victims are basically told there is nothing that can be done for them. This is distressing for those diagnosed with the cancer and simply is not good enough. It would not happen with any other cancer. It also needs to be easier for people to access compensation. When you are diagnosed it is not easy or a first priority to go about getting compensation."
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