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Inquest highlights human tragedies behind mesothelioma statistics
The Brentwood Weekly News has reported on the inquest into the death of a workman who died of mesothelioma.
Dennis Sadler, aged 78, of Kingsley Road, Brentwood had always worked in the building trade. Chelmsford coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray said:
“Mr Sadler used to work in the building trade, and over a number of years he frequently pulled down old buildings, which almost certainly had asbestos in them.
In the light of this evidence I shall record a verdict that Mr Sadler died of the industrial disease mesothelioma, it was not a natural death.”
Comment
Mesothelioma is a cancer affecting the pleura (lining of the lungs) and peritoneum (the lining surrounding the lower digestive tract). In the majority of cases mesothelioma is rapidly fatal following diagnosis so mesothelioma death statistics give a clear indication of the disease incidence.
The disease is closely related to asbestos and many cases are a result of occupational exposures. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.
The long delay between initial exposure to asbestos and death from mesothelioma is typically between 30 and 40 years. This means that deaths occurring now and most of those expected to occur in the future reflect industrial conditions of the past rather than current work practices.
The total number of mesothelioma deaths has increased from 153 in 1968 to 2249 in 2008. The most frequently recorded occupations on death certificates of men now dying from mesothelioma include carpenters and joiners; plumbers, heating and ventilating engineers; and electricians and electrical fitters.
The expected number of deaths amongst males is predicted to increase to a peak of 2038 at around the year 2016.