A study conducted by researchers in Australia has highlighted the increased risk of a malignant mesothelioma diagnosis for those living in a home insulated with loose-fill asbestos insulation.
Though the study was conducted in Australia, its conclusions carry great impact in both the United States and Canada, where asbestos-contaminated insulation was used in millions of homes.
The mesothelioma study was conducted by The Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra and published in the journal The Lancet Public Health. According to the study’s lead author Dr. Rosemary Korda, people who live in homes that have the loose-fill asbestos insulation have a 2.5 times greater risk of being diagnosed with the rare and fatal form of cancer.
Mesothelioma is generally thought of as an occupational disease. It’s caused by exposure to asbestos, a material that has largely been associated with high-heat work environments such as factory settings, construction, ship building and firefighting.
The news that there is a mesothelioma risk from living in homes that were built using the popular form of insulation significantly raises the level of concern worldwide.
According to Dr. Korda, the study was drawn from information encompassing the medical records of more than one million people who lived in the Australian Capital Territory between 1983 and 2013.
Data was drawn from health insurance enrollment lists, national death registrations, and a database of cancer patients. It compared the statistics of those whose homes had been insulated with loose-filled asbestos against those whose homes had not used the material.
“The ACT Asbestos Health Study examined risks for people who had lived in a house with loose-fill asbestos, and we found that loose-fill asbestos insulation is very likely to be unsafe. Our findings have important health, social financial and legal implications for governments and communities in which asbestos has been used to insulate houses.”
In addition to finding a higher incidence of mesothelioma in those who lived in the loose-fill asbestos insulated homes, they also found that rates of colorectal cancer were higher.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos may have come from the workplace, your home, or someplace else in your environment. The Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net have the resources to help you figure out the source of your illness, as well as help you answer other important questions.
Call us today at 1-800-692-8608.
