HC Deb 18 June 1986 vol 99 cc542-3W
Mr. Parry

asked the Paymaster General how many persons have died from asbestos-related diseases in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Mr. Trippier

The following tables gives the numbers of death certificates which mention the asbestos-related diseases asbestosis mesothelioma. Some deaths involving mesothelioma may not be related to asbestos. The most recent figures are for 1984.

Death certificates mentioning asbestos-related diseases
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
Scotland
Asbestosis without mesothelioma 13 18 10 13 9
Asbestosis with mesothelioma 1 3 3 2 2
Mesothelioma without asbestosis 52 53 50 44 54
Total 66 74 63 59 65

In addition, studies have shown that workers heavily exposed to asbestos in the past now suffer a significantly higher incidence of lung cancer than the general population. There are, however, no figures of the total numbers of asbsetos-related deaths from this disease.