Asbestos pushes work-related cancer deaths to more than 8,000 a year in UK
A study published in the British Journal of Cancer and funded by the Health and Safety Executive has found a link to occupations for around 8,000 cancer deaths in Britain, with particularly strong associations established with asbestos, diesel engine fumes and shift work. The news is a firm reminder of the continued need for asbestos removal services from a reputable firm such as Senergi (http://www.senergi.co.uk).
Of these deaths – which equate to around 5% of all cancer deaths in Britain – just less than half of them involved male construction workers that were especially likely to be exposed to not only asbestos, but also other widely recognised carcinogens such as diesel engine exhaust and silica.
Drawing from a list of work-related cancer causing substances from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), researchers found that some 13,600 new cancer cases a year could be attributed to risk factors related to work, highlighting the potential value of asbestos awareness training.
Asbestos ranked top among work-related risk factors, and was followed by night-shift work, mineral oil from the metal and printing industries, sun exposure, silica exposure and diesel engine exhaust, which together, caused cancers ranging from female breast cancer and bladder cancer to lung and skin cancers.
Cases of cancer have increased in number since 2004, with researchers warning that the study’s estimates of cases and deaths were probably conservative and liable to increase with the identification of new work-related risk factors and an increase in understanding of possible risk factors.
Lead author Dr Lesley Rushton, an occupational epidemiologist based at Imperial College London, commented: ““This study gives us a clear insight into how the jobs people do affect their risk of cancer. We hope these findings will help develop ways of reducing health risks caused by exposure to carcinogens in the workplace.
“The cancer with the greatest number of cases and deaths linked to work is lung – a disease which is hard to detect early and has poor survival. Over 30 occupational exposures have been identified by IARC as definite or probable lung cancer causing substances.”
Although asbestos has long ceased to be used in construction, workers can still be at risk when they are maintaining old buildings. In addition, if asbestos is disturbed in the many homes in the UK in which it can still be found, it is a major health hazard to residents and workers alike – which only highlights the importance of adequate asbestos abatement services.
Furthermore, the long period that it takes for asbestos-related cancers to develop means that the number of cases will continue to rise.
Contact a well-regarded asbestos consultancy such as Senergi (http://www.senergi.co.uk) for the complete range of training, analysis and removal services for your residential property or workplace.
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