Victims of mesothelioma
in Rochdale have offered their approval ahead of an asbestos
awareness day being held next month.
Campaigners said the Rochdale conference on July 2 was
particularly apt given the town's significance as the location of
the first confirmed asbestosis death in 1924.
It will use its notoriety as a platform for raising awareness of
the ongoing battle against latent cases that are resulting in
increasing numbers of people succumbing to the disease later in
life.
Save Spodden Valley campaigner Jason Addy said the legacy of
Britain's industrial past was still claiming lives today.
"Today over 2,000 people die each year in the UK of mesothelioma
- the trend is still rising. There is no cure for mesothelioma - it
is considered a very cruel disease but also a lottery as to who
exposed to asbestos may succumb to it," he said.
Mesothelioma affects the thin membrane that lines the chest and
abdomen and is often caused by long-term exposure to asbestos
fibres. While not everybody that is exposed to the fibres goes on
to develop the disease, the Health
and Safety Executive (HSE) said that smokers who work with the
material are at greater risk.