April 3rd
Although studies have been done on the use of asbestos across nations, little is known about the global magnitude of mesothelioma; in particular, many developing countries, including some with extensive historical use of asbestos, do not report mesothelioma incidents. A particular study was conducted to estimate the global magnitude of mesothelioma accounting for reported and unreported cases in which we conservatively estimated that, globally, one mesothelioma case has been overlooked for every four to five reported cases, leading us to believe that mesothelioma is a much more prevalent disease than is currently published.
(Information from “Global magnitude of reported and unreported mesothelioma” published in Environmental Health Perspectives).
Dr. Ken Takahashi is Professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Acting Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Occupational Health at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan. His research includes special interest on the global situation of asbestos-related diseases.
