Events Organised On First Friday Of July Each Year To Help Raise Awareness Of Deadly Disease

Asbestos-related disease lawyers at national law firm Irwin Mitchell are supporting Action Mesothelioma Day as the killer dust continues to pose health risks to employees.

The latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics, released this week, state there were 2,595 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposure in 2016, an increase of over 50 on the recorded mesothelioma deaths in 2016.

According to the health and safety watchdog, the latest projections suggest that there will continue to be around 2,500 deaths per year for the rest of this current decade before annual numbers begin to decline in 2020.

Action Mesothelioma Day aims to bring together victims of the disease, those who have loved ones affected by it, healthcare professionals, support groups and those working to understand the disease and find a cure, to ensure the public are aware of the terrible impact it can have on sufferers and their carers.

Specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are continually campaigning for improved monitoring and management of asbestos in public buildings, such as schools, hospitals and government buildings, to help reduce the risk of the deadly dust causing even more harm.

The profile of mesothelioma victims in recent years has shown signs of shifting with more and more people suffering after so-called domestic or take-home exposure, for example wives washing their husband’s dusty overalls years ago, or from being indirectly exposed to asbestos in schools where refurbishments were carried out.

Adrian Budgen, national head of the asbestos-related disease team at Irwin Mitchell, said: 

Expert Opinion

“The first Asbestos Regulations, to manage the use of asbestos because of its danger to health, became law in 1931, so to learn that people were exposed to the fibres much later is very upsetting for the individuals or the families who come to us.

“Asbestos was commonly used in industry and the building trade for many years and, tragically, although employers ought to have known of the dangers it posed to the health of their staff, they did not implement safety measures and warnings to protect workers from inhaling the toxic substance.

“Too many people are dying due to this poor management of asbestos exposure in the past.

“Mesothelioma is a very aggressive, and sadly, incurable disease and those who fall victim suffer simply because the appropriate precautions were not taken to keep them safe, they were not warned of the dangers of asbestos or provided with the correct protective equipment.

“The recent HSE prediction that the number of deaths caused by mesothelioma will continue on a similar level to at least the end of decade before we see a decline shows the scale of the problem throughout the 1900s.

“The estimated peak of mesothelioma diagnoses keeps being pushed further and further into the future and it sadly means that many more unsuspecting people are likely to be affected.

“We hope that by supporting Action Mesothelioma Day we will help to raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos and mesothelioma, as well as encouraging employers and the government to take action to protect future generations from further suffering.” Adrian Budgen - Partner

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in mesothelioma cases.