§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the incidence and geographical distribution of deaths from asbestosis and related diseases for the last 10 years.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe numbers of death certificates mentioning asbestosis or the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma in each of the last 10 years is shown in the following table:
Year Asbestosis Mesothelioma 1982 128 504 1983 121 578 1984 129 626 1985 140 615 1986 166 703 1987 144 809 1988 152 862 1989 157 899 1990 164 880 1991 163 1,018 Total 1,464 7,494 The geographical breakdown of these deaths was as follows:
94W
Region Asbestosis Mesothelioma North 267 811 Yorkshire and Humberside 155 604 North West 170 839 West Midlands 83 343 East Midlands 50 381 South West 114 704 East Anglia 30 231 South East 380 2,561 Wales 63 217 Scotland 152 803 Total (Great Britain) 1,464 7,494 Exposure to asbestos can also lead to lung cancer. Industrial cases cannot be distinguished medically from lung cancers due to other causes, principally smoking. The total of such cases is estimated from epidemiological evidence to be roughly twice the number of mesotheliomas.