Uncovering the Hidden Risks: Work-Related Cancers in Northern Africa
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Uncovering the Hidden Risks: Work-Related Cancers in Northern Africa

ByHolly Zink

Cancer is a major global health concern, with exposure at work being a significant cause. A new study by the Tunisian Institute of Occupational Health and Safety looks at work-related cancer cases from 2015 to 2020. Understanding the impact Certain jobs expose people to cancer risks, like mesothelioma, lung, and breast cancer. Mesothelioma is one of the world’s deadliest cancers. It is caused by breathing in or swallowing asbestos dust. This usually happens at work. The dust may look harmless enough. But microscopic asbestos fibers are like shards of cancer-causing glass. They become embedded in the tissue and wreak havoc over time. It can take decades for mesothelioma to develop after occupational asbestos exposure. But once it does, patients usually…

Using a "Job Exposure Matrix" to Predict Mesothelioma
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Using a "Job Exposure Matrix" to Predict Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers in one of the world’s top mesothelioma hot spots have come up with an asbestos disease prediction matrix which may help ensure that fewer cases of mesothelioma go undiagnosed. Even though Australia has one of the world’s highest per capita rates of malignant pleural mesothelioma, data on where and when people were likely to have been exposed to asbestos is sketchy. As researchers from the University of Western Australia in Perth note in an article in The Annals of Occupational Hygiene, “In Australia…estimates of disease risk and attribution of disease causation are usually calculated from data that are not specific for local conditions.” One of the problems with not trying to quantify risk in different locations and in different…

Most Canadian Mesothelioma Cases Go Unreported
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Most Canadian Mesothelioma Cases Go Unreported

ByAlex Strauss

Less than half of asbestos workers diagnosed with mesothelioma file claims for workers’ compensation, even though most of those who do file receive compensation, according to a Canadian study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Mesothelioma is a type of lung cancer that has been linked to asbestos exposure. Most of that exposure has occurred in jobs where people work with the fibrous mineral. Up to 40 years can elapse between the time when a worker is exposed to asbestos and when he or she is diagnosed with mesothelioma. Similar to the United States, workers’ compensation in Canada covers medical costs for workers who are injured on the job. This coverage can be an invaluable help to both…

Asbestos Workers Face Increased Risk of Cancer Death
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Asbestos Workers Face Increased Risk of Cancer Death

ByAlex Strauss

Workers who have been exposed to asbestos on the job are more likely to die from lung cancers,mesothelioma, and asbestosis, as well as from stomach cancer and stroke, according to one of the longest-running studies of British asbestos workers, published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. On the positive side, more stringent asbestos regulations appear to be reducing the risk of asbestos-related diseases among younger workers. Since the early part of the 20th century, asbestos-related diseases have been the leading cause of job-related deaths in Great Britain, and the number of deaths has been on the rise. Although Britain has enacted stricter laws governing the use of industrial asbestos, exposed workers will likely continue to develop deadly cancers in the years…