DATA on 60 years' worth of Western Australian cases of the lung disease mesothelioma, which is primarily caused by asbestos exposure, suggested that an Australia-wide ban on asbestos may be working with a fall in the incidence of DIY/renovation exposure.
The study looked at 2,796 cases of mesothelioma with around 85% occurring in men.
The average age at diagnosis was 70 and survival times have doubled over the 60 years, from around six months to a year.
Home renovation was the primary exposure in around 8% of cases, but the number of cases linked to renovations and DIY decreased after a peak in the 2005-2009 period.
Australia also last year introduced a ban on engineered stone products that produce deadly silica dust (PD 21 Aug).
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