Distribution of Mesothelioma Cases in Different Occupational Groups and Industries in Australia, 1979-1995

Abstract

Australia was a producer and user of asbestos and has one of the highest national incidences of mesothelioma in the world. The incidence is still rising and expected to do so for another 10-20 years. A study was conducted in 1996 to examine the past and current incidence rates of mesothelioma in a number of industries and occupations as the basis for predicting future outcomes. Occupational histories of a total of 3758 mesothelioma cases collected by two sequential national schemes--the Australian Mesothelioma Surveillance Program (1979-1985) and Australian Mesothelioma Register (1986-1995)--were reviewed and coded by the authors. The building industry contributed the largest number of cases nationwide followed by shipbuilding and repair, asbestos cement production, crocidolite mining and milling, railway locomotive construction and repair, coal-fired power stations, and other engineering operations. The mean latency between initial occupational asbestos exposure and diagnosis of the disease was 37.4 years (range = 4-66 years) for cases notified between 1979 and 1985, and 41.4 years (range = 6-84 years) for those between 1986 and 1995. Trends for each industry group have been changing considerably in the past 16 years, with the traditional primary asbestos industry cases from crocidolite mining and milling now on the decline and cases from asbestos cement production having plateaued. In contrast, more recently, more cases were observed from the asbestos user industries such as the building industry, and from occupations such as plumbers, carpenters, machinists, and car mechanics. These increases might be a reflection of the longer latency effects of the intermittent and less severe exposures in these larger occupational groups.

Malignant mesothelioma due to non-occupational asbestos exposure from the Italian national surveillance system (ReNaM): epidemiology and public health issues

“…As a legacy of the massive use of asbestos, Italy is today one of the countries most involved in the monitoring, surveillance and control of asbestos-related diseases 23. Similar experiences to the Italian mesothelioma incidence surveillance system, with regard to methods and extension, are scarce and, to the best of our knowledge, currently ongoing only in France24 and Australia 25…”

Occupational, domestic and environmental mesothelioma risks in the British population: a case–control study

“…The risk to carpenters is particularly high in Britain, and also in Australia (Yeung et al, 1999). Most studies in other countries reported higher risks in plumbers, electricians and other construction workers than in carpenters (Muscat and Wynder, 1991;Teschke et al, 1997;Rodelsperger et al, 2001).…”

Predictions of mortality from pleural mesothelioma in Italy: A model based on asbestos consumption figures supports results from age‐period‐cohort models

“…33 Mean latency times greater than 40 years among subjects occupationally exposed to asbestos were reported by the French Mesothelioma Registry 34 and the Australian Mesothelioma Registry about cases incident in the period 1986 -1995. 35 Many studies on wide data sets and reviews report considerable variability in the mean latency reflecting the type of exposure. 36,37 Takahashi et al 38 and Tossavainen 39 recently observed a linear relationship between the mesothelioma incidence/mortality rate and per-capita asbestos consumption in 10 Western countries (Italy included) with different lag periods (from 10 to 25 years).…”