Asbestos in the United Kingdom (England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) has become such a significant problem that the use and sale of all asbestos-containing products in the UK has been completely prohibited since late 1999.
Asbestos: Greatest Single Cause of Work-Related Deaths
The risk of asbestos-caused diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer has been acknowledged by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the U.S., charged with enforcing health and safety regulations in the workplace. According to the HSE, the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK is asbestos.
Duty to Manage Asbestos in Public Buildings
The UK implemented a law in 2004 that makes it a legal duty for the owners of commercial, public and industrial buildings to manage the asbestos that is present in the buildings. UK property owners must now:
The HSE estimates that up to 500,000 such buildings in the UK contain existing asbestos materials, such as:
Mesothelioma Deaths in the UK
The HSE keeps yearly mesothelioma fatality statistics by occupation and region. In 2001, there were 1,848 deaths in the UK attributed to mesothelioma, and the yearly rate has continued to increase. The peak of mesothelioma deaths was recently predicted to be in the year 2015, after which the rate is expected to fall, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer .
Support Resources Near You
If you worked in the UK in an occupation that exposed you to asbestos, you may want to learn more about mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused diseases. Contact us at your convenience for more information.