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Both pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas are caused mostly by exposure to asbestos dust or fibres. Asbestos is only harmful if it is released as dust. This happens when asbestos products are drilled or cut up.
Mesothelioma is very slow to develop, and most people develop the disease between 25 to 50 years after being exposed to asbestos. Half of all cases are now in people aged over 70 years old, and 80% are men. Most people who get it have been exposed to asbestos as a consequence of their job. Because asbestos fibres can be transferred, some cases occur in people who have had close contact with workers exposed to asbestos. Cases have occurred in women who have washed a worker’s overalls, and in ship-yard office workers.
The first law restricting the use of asbestos in the UK came in to force in 1983. Before this, asbestos was widely used, including as an insulator and as a fire retardant. Its use was common in shipbuilding, heating industries and the building trade. Because of the time-lag between asbestos contact and the development of the disease, the number of cases of pleural mesothelioma (the most common type of mesothelioma) is expected to continue to rise for another 10 – 15 years.
Rarely, people develop the disease that have never had contact with asbestos.
Other causes of the disease are not well understood, but they are under active research.
Mesothelioma cannot be inherited.
