Thursday, July 22nd, 2004.

Asbestos-related deaths are on the rise, reports an Associated Press article published July 22. The AP cites the findings of a CDC report which details the growing number of deaths from the cancer-causing material, which is used in a wide variety of materials, generally to strengthen and increase fire resistance. Tiny asbestos fibers can lodge in the lungs of those working with or around it, causing scarring which can lead to asbestosis and the cancer mesothelioma.

Some interesting statistics from the article:

• 1,493 people died from asbestos in 2000, as compared to 77 in 1968.
• Asbestos-related deaths overtook those black lung disease in 1998.
• Although government regulation in the 70s limited the use of asbestos, it is not banned and is still used. Additionally, asbestos is found in more than 3,000 products.

Source: Asbestos deaths up, climbing; CNN.com.
Thursday, July 22, 2004 Posted: 11:25 PM EDT (0325 GMT)

"Asbestos deaths in the United States have skyrocketed since the late 1960s and will probably keep on climbing through the next decade because of long-ago exposure to the material, once widely used for insulation and fireproofing, the government said Thursday."

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Posted: Thursday, July 22nd, 2004 at 12:15 pm; filed under Asbestos & Mesothelioma Studies, Full Archive.

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