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The Health and Safety Executive has published statistics on asbestos-related diseases in Great Britain for 2024.
There are currently more than 5,000 deaths a year attributable to asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Asbestos-related diseases have a long latency period, with symptoms typically appearing decades after exposure.
Mesothelioma accounted for 2,257 deaths in 2022. This is a slight decrease from 2,290 in the previous year and is significantly lower than the average of 2,529 a year from 2012 to 2020. More than 80 per cent of those who died from mesothelioma in 2022 were men. The number of mesothelioma deaths in men is expected to continue to fall during the 2020s; mesothelioma deaths in women are expected to remain at between 400 and 500 a year over the decade before subsequently reducing.
Studies suggest that the number of deaths from asbestos-related lung cancer is about the same as from mesothelioma, or about 2,500 a year. The number is difficult to calculate because lung cancer usually has no specific clinical signs associated with particular causes. Asbestos is also estimated to cause a small number of deaths from cancers of the larynx and stomach.
There were 493 deaths in 2022 where asbestosis was mentioned, excluding cases where mesothelioma was also mentioned. In 40 per cent of these cases, asbestosis was given as the underlying cause of death. Deaths from asbestosis in those below the age of 65 have been falling since the 1980s, but deaths at age 75 and above have been increasing, indicating that people born more recently have tended to experience lower levels of asbestos exposure. Some of the asbestosis deaths in recent years may have occurred earlier than they otherwise would because of the COVID-19 pandemic.