Mesothelioma on the Rise of Australian women

Mesothelioma on the Rise of Australian women - A news service of Australia reported an increase in the number of women contracting mesothelioma and blame the growing popularity of DIY home renovation.

According to the Mercury.com, the number of women patients with mesothelioma Tasmania increased significantly in recent years. The website quotes the president of Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia, Barry Robson, who said the new state by state government at the mesothelioma statistics coming out soon could become "raw reading."


"But we have seen an increase in the number of women affected by asbestos-related conditions in the last decade or so, and that is increasing," Robson told the news source.

In Australia and elsewhere in the world, asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma has affected more men than women. Asbestos has been used for decades in various construction and industrial applications, putting millions of people - mostly men - who work in these jobs at risk of exposure. Traditionally, a large percentage of women who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are believed to have been exposed through contact with the clothes of their husbands' contaminated work.

But Robson says Australia's recent love affair with home renovation is to put a growing number of homeowners - including women owners - the risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The foundation says that all homes built before 1984 in Tasmania contains some asbestos products may be toxic to the reformers. The group has been so concerned about the trend that has asked the Australian government to force home television programs to show asbestos renewal notices.

In Australia, as in the U.S., some sources of asbestos in the home are obvious, while others are more difficult to identify. Many homeowners are aware that the vermiculite insulation may contain asbestos, as well as roof shingles. However, asbestos was also used as backup for tiles in kitchens and bathrooms, as a support for electric meter boxes, as insulation around furnaces and pipes. Asbestos was also used in some joint compound and even paintings, which can make it dangerous for sand or otherwise alter the aging wall plate.

Although the incidence of mesothelioma in women worldwide is less than men, studies have found that women are less susceptible to disease.