Mesothelioma as an Occupation-Related Cancer in New Hampshire

Details

• Personal Author:
  Armenti K
• Description:
  Many New Hampshire residents are familiar with the hazards associated with occupational exposure to asbestos in various industries, such as the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and at the former Johns Manville Site in Nashua, NH. There are still a number of sites in New Hampshire that are contaminated with asbestos. It is well documented that the hazardous fibers released when asbestos-containing materials are disturbed can cause certain forms of cancer and other serious respiratory diseases in workers who have inhaled these fibers on the job. One of these cancers, mesothelioma, while relatively rare, is a fatal cancer largely attributable to workplace exposures where processes such as sandblasting, ship fitting, plumbing, pipe and steam fitting, and asbestos remediation take place. Regulatory action since the 1970s, coupled with widespread public concern about the health hazards of asbestos, have resulted in a significant annual decline in the United States use of asbestos. Mesothelioma, also termed malignant mesothelioma, is a cancer that occurs in the lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart. Unlike lung cancer, there is no direct association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases the risk of asbestos-induced cancers. Everyone is exposed to small amounts of asbestos at some time during their life. Low levels of asbestos are usually present in the air, water, and soil. Fortunately, most people are at low risk for illness. The people most at risk are those exposed to asbestos on a regular basis, such as a job where they work directly with the material. Individuals who were involved in the rescue, recovery, and cleanup at the site of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City are another group at risk of developing malignant mesothelioma. Because asbestos was used in the construction of the North Tower of the WTC, when that building was attacked, hundreds of tons of asbestos were released into the atmosphere. Those at greatest risk from exposure included firefighters, police officers, paramedics, construction workers, and volunteers who worked in the rubble at Ground Zero. Others at risk include residents in close proximity to the WTC towers and those who attended or taught in schools nearby. There is some evidence for environmental exposure and health outcomes. Family members of workers heavily exposed to asbestos face an increased risk for mesothelioma, primarily from exposure to the fibers brought into the home on the shoes, clothing, skin, and hair of workers. Cases of mesothelioma have also been seen in individuals without occupational asbestos exposure who live in communities close to where asbestos is mined or processed. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Environmental Public Health Tracking Program to share important indicators on national and state EPHT web sites. The New Hampshire Occupational Health Surveillance Program, along with 22 other NIOSH-funded states, tracks 20 core occupational health indicators using nationally consistent outcome measures, including malignant mesothelioma. Tracking of malignant mesothelioma has been undertaken to document the burden of occupational disease, to design, target, and evaluate the impact of prevention efforts over time, and to identify previously unrecognized settings in which workers may continue to be at risk of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma cancer incidence counts for New Hampshire have increased between 1993 and 2007. The malignant mesothelioma data during 1999-2005 show the state death rate was greater than the national rate of 13.8 per million population per year in many states, including New Hampshire. Mesothelioma has a long latency period (10-40 years) so current rates are more reflective of past exposures and it may be many years before reductions in occupational exposures affect the rates of mesothelioma in the nation and in New Hampshire. Nationally, death rates due to mesothelioma are expected to decline after 2010 since the widespread use of asbestos was stopped in the 1980s. We could assume that rates for women, mostly exposed from the clothing of family members working in the industry, will also continue to decline. The good news is that mesothelioma cancer rates are no longer rising, and most citizens now live in a much cleaner environment with a lower likelihood of significant asbestos exposure. Asbestos exposure and mesothelioma provide a cautionary tale of the dangers of uncontrolled occupational and environmental exposures to pollution. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asbestos Demography Environmental Exposure Inorganic Chemicals Lung Lung Diseases Neoplasms Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Cancer Demographic Characteristics Environmental Exposure Exposure Levels Fibers Hazards Lung Cancer Lung Disease Mesothelioma Pollution Pulmonary System Disorders Respiratory Diseases Respiratory System Disorders Risk Factors Work Environment Workers

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• Publisher:
  Environmental Public Health Tracking Program
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  New Hampshire ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  2-3
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049769
• Citation:
  The Tracker 2012 Dec; 5:2-3
• Contact Point Address:
  Karla R. Armenti, ScD, Occupational Health Surveillance Program, Bureau of Public Health Statistics & Informatics, Division of Public Health Services, 29 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301
• Email:
  karmenti@dhhs.state.nh.us
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  New Hampshire State Department of Health Statistics and Data Management
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20100701
• Source Full Name:
  The Tracker
• End Date:
  20150630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:34bcf400b70189d4f48e088d8f3251b994f431997104f39dc8fbe8276f3ae1d59672064ec5f6c50c1ec5c14fed634a386b29b26422fd363da275c9606607b2a7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210407/cdc_210407_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 375.18 KB ]