One-in-10 Australian carpenters born before 1950 will die of mesothelioma, according to results of a British study released in Australia in April.  They will be among 30,000 Australians who will die from mesothelioma between 2000 and 2050.

Cancer research specialist Professor Julian Peto made the findings during research into the lifetime occupations of 600 mesothelioma patients and an analysis of international trends in mesothelioma mortality.  Dr. Peto said the cause of mesothelioma was not restricted to the deadly blue asbestos, also known as crocidolite, but to brown asbestos (amosite) which was used in building products in Australia and Britain until the 1980s.

Brown asbestos was a major component in most asbestos cement sheeting and roofing used in the building industry.  Dr. Peto feels that the widespread use in the construction business has been overlooked by many in the field.

“The use of these products was completely uncontrolled.  Carpenters would chop it up with power saws without much concern at all.  And this was after we became aware of the dangers of blue asbestos.”

Dr. Peto’s research also revealed that Australia and the UK have the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world, with 600 cases per year in Australia and almost 2,000 in Britain, and figures are rising.

He said that 10 per cent of Australian carpenters born before 1950 were likely to die of asbestos-related cancers.  The rate for Australia and the UK is more than five times that of the United States, mainly because of different construction methods, according to Dr. Petos.