Study Reaffirms Shipyard Asbestos Danger | Mesothelioma Blog

It has long been understood that shipyards ? indeed the shipbuilding industry as a whole ? have been one of the most dangerous job sites in terms of risk of developing mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure.? Because the industry relied heavily upon materials laden with asbestos, hundreds of thousands of workers worldwide have succumbed to mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other asbestos related diseases.? A recent study of Italian shipbuilders at the shipyards in Monfalcone further confirms this tragic truth.

The study examined workers employed in shipbuilding between the 1940?s and the 1960?s in the coastal Italian city, a city that has been known for its history of commercial shipbuilding, textiles, and chemical manufacturing.? Researchers from the Center for the Study of Environmental Cancer sorted through hiring records from 1942 and followed several of those new hire employees for decades via local hospital records.? They discovered that an alarming rate of workers displayed some sort of asbestos disease, with mesothelioma being chief among them.

Of the 2,776 hired to work in the Monfalcone shipyards in 1942, 18 were diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma.? However, these patients were not diagnosed until decades later (between 1981 and 2005 according to local hospital records) which is common for mesothelioma victims because of the long latency period the disease exhibits.

Population-wise that works out to just over one-half of one percent of workers from just one year alone ? roughly one worker in every 150 hired diagnosed with mesothelioma.? When compared to the nationwide average of mesothelioma diagnosis in the United States (1 in nearly 100,000) you can see the huge disparity between the ?regular? population?s risk and that of shipbuilders.

However, the data collected also showed that over 6 of those pleural mesothelioma victims were between the ages of 14 and 15 when hired.? At first that statistic doesn?t sound like much but when you consider that only 557 of those nearly 3,000 workers fell into that age bracket the disparity between age and disease rates becomes shocking.? That equals out to a full 33% of the diseased population being exposed while extremely young.

This data not only corroborates findings from other studies that put shipbuilding in the top-tier for mesothelioma risk but those that have previously found that younger asbestos victims tend to develop mesothelioma at higher rates.

Of course, shipbuilding and the associated disease were not limited to Italy.? The United States has been struggling with high mesothelioma rates in the shipbuilding industry for decades.? And it?s not only the shipwrights, pipe fitters, welders, and tradespeople that built these ships that suffer but also the merchant mariners and veterans that served on them as well.? In fact, Navy Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma every year are one of the highest risk groups.

One retrospective American study found that shipbuilders in Hampton Roads, Virginia experienced mesothelioma rates at seven times the national average.

And not surprisingly, people employed in the decommissioning or salvage of derelict ships (aka ?ship breaking?) are also at high risk of developing asbestos diseases.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, don?t hesitate to contact an asbestos attorney.? You deserve to get compensated by the manufacturers who developed those asbestos containing products.? They knew they were dangerous and killing people, yet did nothing to warn or protect workers and the public.? We have been helping victims of mesothelioma and their families for over 30 years.? Contact us today at 1-800-440-4262.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 27th, 2012 at 10:15 am and is filed under Mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Source: http://blog.mesothelioma-usa.com/study-reaffirms-shipyard-asbestos-danger/

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