Mesothelioma rates are increasing in women, according to a new report by the CDC. Malignant mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos or asbestos-containing materials and is often considered an occupational disease due to its prevalence in men in blue-collar industries.
However, according to the report published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, from 1999 to 2020, mesothelioma deaths in women increased from 489 to 614, an increase of more than 20 per cent. The report goes against hopes that due to widespread bans in many countries, the rates of death due to mesothelioma would be lower.
The occupational analysis of the women who had died of mesothelioma during the examined period showed that 23% identified as home makers, with health care workers accounting for 16%, with the following largest cohorts teachers and registered nurses.
According to the data examined from the death certificates of the women, 12,227 women in the United States aged 25 or over died of malignant mesothelioma. Almost all were over 55 and white.
The “overall attributable risk” among women accounted for only 23% of the cohort, with the authors positing that the “potential environmental exposure to naturally occurring asbestos, indoors when older building materials containing asbestos are present, or from take-home exposures by indirect contact via family members who were exposed to asbestos fibres at workplaces outside of the home.”