John Leech MP takes Action Against Asbestos Disease

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 1st Mar 2007

John Leech MP supports the Action Mesothelioma campaign by signing the House of Commons motion

Liberal Democrat MP for Manchester Withington, John Leech, joined the British Lung Foundation and other campaigners at the House of Commons this week to welcome a new Department of Health initiative aimed at improving services for people with the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.

The new initiative comes a year after the launch of the British Lung Foundation's Mesothelioma Charter, which calls for mesothelioma to be made a national priority by the Cancer Tsar. John Leech has signed an Early Day Motion at the event welcoming the Department of Health's Mesothelioma Framework and calling for increased awareness of the disease.

Around 2,000 people died of mesothelioma in the UK in 2005. The UK is facing an epidemic of the cancer in 2011 - 2015 as people exposed to asbestos in the 1960s and 1970s are diagnosed with the disease. (It takes 40 years for symptoms of mesothelioma to become apparent following exposure to asbestos). Recent cases show that builders, plumbers, gas fitters and electricians are now the largest high-risk groups. They are likely to come across asbestos in the buildings where they work. There is as yet no cure for mesothelioma and the British Lung Foundation is calling for more research into the disease.

More than a third (37%) of the British public is still unaware that contact with asbestos can cause cancer and only half (55%) are aware that their boiler cupboard could contain the deadly building material, according to a new YouGov survey published today by the British Lung Foundation to mark Action Mesothelioma Day (February 27).

The British Lung Foundation commissioned the survey to find out how much people really knew about the hazards of asbestos in the home. The results show that while almost everyone (98%) has heard of asbestos, nearly two thirds (65%) have never heard of mesothelioma, the fatal cancer of the lining of the lung caused by inhaling asbestos fibres. It also reveals that there is still widespread ignorance about the health hazards of asbestos and where it might be found in the home, despite the fact that anyone who comes into contact with it could be at risk.

Representatives from the British Lung Foundation, Mesothelioma UK, the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund and the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund attended the event.

John Leech MP said: "I am delighted that the British Lung Foundation's Action Mesothelioma Campaign is helping to bring about real improvements for people with this cruel disease and continues to campaign for more research into the disease and more awareness about the dangers of asbestos. I have been contacted by several of my constituents in South Manchester who are directly affected by asbestos disease. However, the British Lung Foundation's survey shows that there is a dangerously low lack of awareness amongst the British public that contact with asbestos causes cancer. The disease kills one person every five hours in the UK so it is vital that the public are aware of the potential dangers of asbestos in their homes, when undertaking DIY projects. I will continue to support the Action Mesothelioma Charter and the issues it raises."

Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation said: "We are very pleased that John Leech MP is continuing to support the Action Mesothelioma Charter. Much has been achieved in the past year but there is a long way to go. We need more research into this deadly cancer, better treatments to give sufferers more hope, and more public awareness of the continuing dangers of contact with asbestos."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. The number of mesothelioma deaths each year has increased from 153 in 1968 to 1,969 in 2004. Experts predict that we face an epidemic from 2011-2015 as the death toll rises over the next decade. The total number of mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain is expected to peak at around 1,950-2,450 deaths annually sometime between 2011 and 2015 Written answer to parliamentary question from Jane Kennedy MP to Huw Irranca-Davies MP 23-04-04

2. Although it is banned now, asbestos can still be found in places like gutters and rainwater pipes, garage and shed roofs, insulation panels in some storage heaters, bath panels, central heating flues, textured ceilings and even ironing boards. As asbestos ages, it becomes crumbly so fibres are released more easily.

3. There are three types of asbestos - blue (crocidolite), brown (amosite) and white (chrysotile). All three forms can cause mesothelioma. Blue asbestos has not been imported into this country since around 1972 but was formerly used for insulation lagging and sprayed coatings. Brown asbestos was used in thermal insulation up to the late 1960s and in various sprayed forms and insulating boards until the late 1970s. The most common form of asbestos found in the home is white asbestos.

4. In April 2005, of 2,265 cancer research projects being carried out by partners of the National Cancer Research Institute, only two of those related to mesothelioma research.

5. The British Lung Foundation commissioned the YouGov online survey among 2,471 adults aged 18+ in England, Wales and Scotland between 6 - 8 February 2007. Results were weighted to be representative of the known population profiles from the 2001 Census.

6. The British Lung Foundation is the only UK charity working to help people with all 43 lung diseases. It provides information and support to patients and their families, funds world class medical research to find solutions to lung disease and campaigns for improved treatments and services.

7. The Action Mesothelioma campaign is a coalition campaign, led by the British Lung Foundation, which brings together patient groups, healthcare professionals and charities with an interest in Mesothelioma to speak with one voic about the disease.

8. Action Mesothelioma Day is supported by an educational grant from the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund, Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund, Corries Solicitors Ltd., Field Fisher Waterhouse, Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, John Pickering & Partners, Leigh Day & Co., Lilly UK, Pannone & Partners and Thompsons Solicitors.