July 6th, 2006

Figures recently released have indicated that the number of admissions tied to asbestos related disease have doubles over the past decade in Northern Ireland.

It is estimated that the figures will not peak until around the year 2050, and figures showed that between 1995 and 2004, admissions of this nature into Northern Ireland hospitals rose from 106 in 1995 to 208 in 2004.

One victim spoke out about the dangers and effects of the killer known as asbestos, stating: “It brings home to you the seriousness of these diseases and the problem is that they are incurable so there’s not a lot which hospitals can do. The numbers being treated are just going to grow as people discover they have this disease.”

Asbestos is a substance that was once widely used in a number of products and processes, but it was discovered that exposure to asbestos dust and fibers could cause a number of health problems, and this includes a deadly type of cancer known as mesothelioma.