Small Declines in Asbestos-Related Cancer

May 24, 2006 - Researchers in the United States have noted a slight decline in the rate of new mesothelioma cases reported annually in this country, according to Dr. Hans Weill, a professor emeritus at Tulane University in New Orleans. 

Mesothelioma hit an all-time high in the 1990s, Weill reported to attendees at a recent conference in Montreal, notes the city’s Gazette newspaper.  The professor also noted that a similar decline has been cited in Europe, and scientists expect that the same will occur in Australia soon, though that country still has the largest incidence of the disease due to continued use of asbestos through much of the 20th century.

Quebec, one of the world’s largest miners of asbestos, hopes to also see cases of the disease stabilize in the next 15 years, notes the article. 

The use of asbestos in a variety of industries, including steel mills, power plants, shipyards, construction companies, and auto plants waned after the U.S. issued strong warnings about its use in the 1970s.  Since it often takes 20-40 years for symptoms of asbestos diseases to surface, a huge number of cases were reported in the last few decades by those exposed as early as the 1940s.