Societal Costs of Mesothelioma
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When so many people world-wide are dying from
this disease, a relevant and important question is the
following: what are the societal costs of mesothelioma?
Please continue reading to grasp an understanding of the societal
consequences of mesothelioma.
Some Examples of the Societal Costs of
Mesothelioma
The following example represent some of the
societal costs of mesothelioma.
- It is documented that Australia had the highest per capita use
of asbestos in the world from the 1950’s until the 1970’s. As
a tragic consequence, Australia now has the highest per capita
incidence of mesothelioma in the world. With more than 500
Australians contracting mesothelioma per year, it is estimated that
up to 18,000 Australians will die from this asbestos related cancer
by the year 2020.
- In the next 35 years it is estimated that over 1 million people
will die from asbestos-related diseases in developed
countries. Most of these people will die from lung cancer and
mesothelioma since both of these are the most widely occurring
asbestos-related diseases.
- A recent study of the U.S. government provides the latest
evidence of a systematic cover-up of the health toll from pollution
after the 9/11 disaster, which doctors fear will cause more deaths
than the attacks themselves. An analysis of
this governmental study (conducted by a consortium of
researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Columbia University,
New York University, Johns Hopkins University, The University of
Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and the University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill) shows exposure-related increases in
new-onsets of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and
bronchial hyperactivity more than 2½ years after the
disaster.
| In the next 35 years it is
estimated that over 1 million people will die from asbestos-related
diseases in developed countries. Most of these people will die from
lung cancer and mesothelioma since both of these are the most
widely occurring asbestos-related
diseases |
- Asbestos is the single biggest work place killer today.
People who have worked with the material are at serious risk
from developing lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, two fatal
respiratory illnesses that debilitate their victims. Evidence
of asbestos' deadly effect on those who breathe its fibres is
likely to multiply in the decades to come.
- There are two costs to society that can be
identified. The first is the cost to the public health
system. The second cost is the loss of tax revenue by
governments due to asbestos mining companies claiming a tax
deduction for the compensation payments that are made to the
victims.
- Due to the latency of asbestos diseases it is thought that we
will be seeing many more incidences of mesothelioma in the next 25
years. Hugh Robertson, head of health and safety at the
British TUC says: "A realistic estimate is that within the EU
[European Union] alone 500,000 will die in the next 35 years, half
from mesothelioma and half from lung cancer. In Japan, an
estimated 100,000 will die. If you add the Australian,
Canadian and US figures then even a million is an under estimation
- and that is only for the developed countries."
| Hot water and steam pipes in
older houses may be coated with an asbestos material or covered
with an asbestos blanket or tape. |
- In illustration of the costs to the public health system, the
Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia has stated that by 2020
there will be 13,000 cases of mesothelioma and 40,000 asbestos
related lung cancer diseases, totaling 53,000 people and this is
only in Australia! This means that 53,000 people will need to
have constant medical attention for the next 15 years or so.
The question therefore, who pays for the cost? The answer, of
course, is the current taxpayer and the next generation of
taxpayers.
| Each year there are 2,000 to
3,000 new cases of mesothelioma in the United States. Add the
thousands and thousands of new incidents of this disease worldwide
each year, and it is apparent that mesothelioma has become a
nightmare for all of the industrialized countries in the
world. |
- Sadly the effects of asbestos take many years to manifest
themselves. People who worked in the construction industries
some 20 to 40 years ago may still be awaiting their fate.
Asbestos causes several diseases, two of which occur only in those
who have had contact with asbestos, asbestosis and mesothelioma.
Lung cancer and emphysema are more commonly associated with
smoking but frequently occur in non smokers with a history of
asbestos contact.
| There is strong evidence in the
medical literature that the dangers of asbestos exposure were known
long before millions of American workers were
exposed. |
- The following two asbestos-related issues have not been
addressed: First, the financial costs to society of
asbestos-related diseases (such as mesothelioma cancer) and who
pays for these costs. Secondly, should asbestos mining
companies be paying compensation not only to the sufferers of
mesothelioma and other diseases but also to society?
Societal Costs of Mesothelioma:
Conclusion
When so many people world-wide are dying from this disease, a
relevant and important question is the following: what are
the societal costs of mesothelioma?
Reading the above listed example paints a dreary picture of the
amount of destruction and wide spread damage mesothelioma has
caused society.
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