May 25th, 2006

It has been claimed at a conference earlier this week that the number of cases of the asbestos related cancer, mesothelioma, that are coming to light each year in the United States has started to decline. Attendees at the conference were also told that the trend in other countries such as Australia and in European countries is set to follow.

Dr. Hans Weill stated that cases of mesothelioma in men hit an all time high in the 1990s, but that the figures have fallen slightly now. The same trends have been seen in Great Britain according to reports, as well as in Australia, although the decline in Australia seems to be a little slower than other named areas.

Dr. Weill added that the decline that was being seen in these countries was probably due to the changes in the use of asbestos over the past quarter of a century or so.

Asbestos is a known carcinogenic, and up until around the mid 1980s was widely used in a range of products as well as in building, in areas such as wall and ceiling tiles, insulation, and other areas. This is because it offered fire retardant properties and was very cheap, but the dangers of this substance were soon identified as far outweighing the benefits.