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Malignant Mesothelioma: Asbestos Exposure

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Occupational Cancers

Abstract

Asbestos is a recognized high-profile health hazard with an estimated total cancer burden from malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer in industrialized countries to be in the order of 30,000 cancers per year (Tossavainen A, People Work Res Rep. 14: 8–27, 1997) with further deaths related to lung fibrosis (asbestosis) and complications of asbestos-related diffuse pleural thickening. Projections for the 1995–2029 period suggest that male mesothelioma deaths will double over the next 20 years to a peak of 9,000 in 2018 and then decline, with an estimated 250,000 deaths up to 2025 in Europe (Peto J, Decarli A, La Vecchia C et al.. Br J Cancer. 79: 666–72, 1999).

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Correspondence to Richard L. Attanoos BSc, MBBS .

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Attanoos, R.L. (2014). Malignant Mesothelioma: Asbestos Exposure. In: Anttila, S., Boffetta, P. (eds) Occupational Cancers. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2825-0_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2825-0_15

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