Actor’s Death Highlights Mesothelioma Risk in Australia
An Australian film actor best known in the U.S. for playing opposite Mel Gibson in Gallipoli has died ofmesothelioma. Harold Hopkins died in a Sydney hospital where he was receiving hospice care. He was 67 years old. Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the thin tissue around internal organs. It is often considered an occupational disease, since many people come into contact with the asbestos that causes it while working in various industrial settings. Although actors are not typically thought to be at high risk for mesothelioma, Hopkins reportedly encountered asbestos long before his acting career began. According to Australia’s Daily Telegraph, he was exposed to asbestos as early as the 1960’s while working his first job after high school…