Rates of mesothelioma in women rising 25%, highest in ‘take-home’ exposed

Rates of mesothelioma in women rising 25%, highest in ‘take-home’ exposed

A recent study published in the US CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report has confirmed that deaths in women from malignant mesothelioma continue to rise despite banning and declining use of asbestos-containing products.

The study looked at deaths from 1999 to 2020, which showed that the annual number of deaths by mesothelioma in women had increased 25% from 1999 to 2020 – from 489 to 614. Seven states across the US recorded significantly higher rates of death per million women – Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. The researchers posited that the geographic increase could be attributed to industries like shipyards or mining, where women were likely exposed via take-home asbestos exposure.

The report was authored by doctors from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC, who noted that while mesothelioma is always caused by asbestos exposure, the rates of women exposed in a work setting were vastly different from men.

They estimated that 85% of men with mesothelioma were exposed at work, whereas only 23% of exposure in women came from worksites. Most asbestos exposure in women occurred in those who were homemakers, teachers and nurses, with most exposed by way of family members who were exposed at work. One study noted that the risk of mesothelioma in women is ten-fold higher in those who had a husband or father who worked in an asbestos-exposed field.

The report warned that “in addition to contemporary cases arising from past exposures, cases associated with future occupational and environmental exposures might occur if activities such as remediation and demolition of older buildings and equipment are done with inadequate asbestos controls to protect workers and the surrounding community.”

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