Asbestos time-bomb: Toxic mineral may be killing FOUR times more people than previously feared, experts warn

Asbestos could be killing up to four times more people than the government admits, according to new research.

Official figures currently attribute around 5,000 deaths a year to asbestos – making it the UK’s biggest industrial killer. But experts now say the toll could be as high as 22,500.

Scientists say ‘white asbestos’ – the most common form found in UK buildings – may be far more dangerous than previously believed.

While it has been less closely linked to mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer most often associated with asbestos, new research suggests it could be a major hidden cause of common lung cancers.

The Daily Mail’s Asbestos: Britain’s Hidden Killer campaign is demanding a phased removal of asbestos from all public buildings, starting with schools and hospitals.

More than 80 per cent of schools and 90 per cent of hospitals still contain the material.

The current policy is to leave asbestos where it is, as long as it isn’t visibly deteriorating.

But experts warn that white asbestos – found in anything from roofs to floor tiles – is even less likely to be prioritised for removal, given its reputation as being less potent.

Industry campaigners say the latest revelations will put more pressure on the government to act.

‘British asbestos deaths are massively underestimated by the HSE,’ said Charles Pickles, founder of the campaign group Airtight on Asbestos.

‘We can definitely challenge that, and we’re duty bound to because we’re masking the reason why thousands of people are dying.’

Until now, the biggest cause of asbestos death has been put down to mesothelioma, a cancer of the tissue surrounding the lungs and abdomen.

Around 2,500 asbestos deaths are caused by mesothelioma each year, according to estimates from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

A further 2,500 are attributed to lung cancer or asbestosis – a non-cancerous hardening of the lungs – taking the full annual toll to 5,000.

But this estimate has long been questioned by scientists, who argue asbestos is causing far more lung cancer cases than are being recorded.

Now, researchers at the University of Glasgow say they may have shown that asbestos is a much more deadly cause of lung cancer than previously thought.

There are several types of asbestos. So-called ‘blue’ and ‘brown’ asbestos – now banned and rarely used – have long been considered the most dangerous because their tiny, needle-like fibres can lodge deep in the lungs and pierce the surrounding lining.

By contrast, white asbestos – the type still found in most UK buildings – has coiled fibres, meaning they are more likely to become trapped in the lungs and linger for years.

While this makes white asbestos less likely to trigger mesothelioma, they cause chronic inflammation and significantly increase the risk of more common lung cancers.

‘The curled fibres of white asbestos are simply going to have a harder time getting out of the lung which means they’re going to spend more time in there,’ says Dr Daniel Murphy, professor of lung cancer and mesothelioma at the University of Glasgow.

‘And if they’re spending more time in there, they’re going to cause chronic inflammation and that is going to accelerate disease onset and lung cancer.

‘When the additional lung cancer deaths are taken into account, I believe the true figure for the annual number of deaths caused by asbestos in the UK could be somewhere in the range of 9,000 to 22,500, and not 5,000.’

Some research suggests that while white asbestos causes relatively few cases of mesothelioma, it may be up to nine times more likely to trigger lung cancer – making it a far bigger killer overall.

Experts say the true toll is still being underestimated, with many asbestos-related lung cancers wrongly attributed to smoking.

‘Because smoking has been such a driver of lung cancer, the moment a doctor is told a person has been a smoker, that is the assumed cause,’ says Professor Kevin Bampton, Chief Executive of the British Occupational Hygiene Society, which campaigns for workplace safety.

‘However, where smokers have been exposed to asbestos, their risk of cancer is significantly increased.

‘It’s a logical observation, but the new research, coupled with the government’s own statistics, suggest that working or living with asbestos results in a higher risk of lung cancer and contributes to more cancer deaths than the official estimates.’

Professor Jukka Takala, former president of the International Commission on Occupational Health and one of the world’s leading experts on asbestos-related disease, believes asbestos is being widely under-attributed in lung cancer deaths globally.

‘The role of asbestos in lung cancer is being underestimated worldwide,’ he said.

‘Smoking is usually the bigger risk, but when someone develops lung cancer it is often seen as the easy explanation. Doctors may simply conclude it was caused by smoking and stop there.

‘Very few are actively looking for asbestos exposure – even in post-mortems – meaning the combined effect of smoking and asbestos is often missed.’

The failure to recognise these cases as industrial diseases means many victims are unable to claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit or compensation from former employers. Those diagnosed with mesothelioma, by contrast, are eligible for both.

Professor Murphy said he did not believe there was a deliberate attempt to conceal the scale of the problem – but warned that recognising it would carry significant financial consequences.

‘I don’t want to accuse anybody of a cover-up,’ he said. ‘However, admitting the true scale would mean many more people became eligible for compensation and benefits.

‘That would come with a significant cost, which may have given civil servants cause for concern. But the cost of continuing to ignore the problem could ultimately be even greater.’

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said: ‘Every death caused by asbestos is a tragedy, which is why we are working at pace and scale to ensure the risks it still poses are fully understood and mitigated.

‘Our assessment that asbestos causes roughly equal numbers of lung cancer and mesothelioma deaths is based on a substantial body of evidence, including recent work by leading independent researchers.

‘Last year, we convened a wide range of experts and stakeholders to identify the research priorities needed to support better decision-making in the years ahead.’