25-02-2008
Survey highlights lack of asbestos awareness
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New data released by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) has highlighted a lack of awareness in relation to asbestos.
The organisation has found that tradesmen, such as gasfitters and builders, are largely unaware of the risks they face when dealing with the substance. Indeed, BLF discovered that out of every eight individuals, only one was aware of the fact that asbestos exposure can lead to death.
"It is a great worry that those most at risk of this cruel cancer know so little about a killer that could be lurking in the building they're working on," said Dame Helena Shovelton, chief executive of the BLF. "We want mesothelioma to become a disease of the past."
In addition to mesothelioma, asbestos is known to be behind a number of different conditions, including asbestosis and diffuse pleural thickening.
The organisation's findings are based upon a study of 400 individual tradesmen.