- Someone dies every five hours from mesothelioma in the UK[i]
- Over 2,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma every year in the UK[ii] - this equates to more than five people every day
- It can take more than 40 years for the disease to develop after exposure to asbestos
- Survival from the point of diagnosis is usually between six months and three years, the average being 18 months
- In 2002, there were 2,333 deaths from occupational lung disease in Great Britain, more than three quarters of these deaths were from Mesothelioma[iii]
- Since 1992 the annual number of mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain has increased from 1,097 to 1,862 in 2002, an increase of 70%[iv]
- The total number of mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain is expected to peak at around 1,950-2,450 deaths annually sometime between 2011 and 2015[v]
- There are 33% more deaths from mesothelioma than from cervical cancer[vi]
[i] http://www.leeds.ac.uk/meso/meso.htm
[ii] http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=4395
[iii] Burden of Lung Disease II, British Thoracic Society (2006)
[iv] Burden of Lung Disease II, British Thoracic Society (2006)
[v] Written answer to parliamentary question from Jane Kennedy MP to Huw Irranca-Davies MP 23-04-04
[vi] http://www.leeds.ac.uk/meso/meso.htm
