HSE annual workplace fatality figures show asbestos still cause of premature death in UK

Mesothelioma, a form of cancer that slowly forms over several years due to past inhalation of asbestos, still accounts for over 2,500 deaths in the UK each year.

Figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that mesothelioma deaths rose sharply over the last 50 years due to occupational asbestos exposure between 1950-1980.

Annual deaths are expected to decline from 2020 onwards; deaths below the age of 70 are already decreasing.

There is a substantial number of workers from the construction industry, such as carpenters, plumbers and electricians, and the shipbuilding sector, who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Read the study here.