Mesothelioma-Some Facts

* About 4,000 People die from Mesothelioma every year, the rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
* There are currently about 3000 new cases of Mesothelioma diagnosed per year, mostly in men over the age of 40.
* It is estimated that 27.5 million Americans were exposed to asbestos between 1940 and 1979.
* Mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years after the first exposure to asbestos.
* It is estimated that there will be about 250,000 cases of Mesothelioma before 2020.
* Through 2003, more than 700,000 People have filed claims against more than 6,000 Asbestos companies. These same companies knew of the dangers for many years before ever warning the public of those risks.
* During the 20th century, some 30 million tons of asbestos were used in industrial sites, homes, schools, shipyards and commercial buildings in the United States.
* Many asbestos-containing products remain in buildings, ships, industrial facilities and other environments where the fibers can become airborne.
* Statistics from the National Cancer Institute show that around 3000 cases of this malignant mesothelioma are reported each year in the United States, and this figure is on the increase.
* It is thought that around eight million people in the United States have been exposed to asbestos over the past half a century, and many more cases - are expected to be reported in the next 25 years.
* The first known asbestos lawsuit was in 1929 in New Jersey.
* Over 2,100 people were diagnosed with mesothelioma in the UK in 2003.