Mesothelioma: still a topical occupational disease

Although the number of cases has been falling since 2013, Eurostat shows that in 2021 there will still be 2,380 deaths in the EU from mesothelioma, a cancer mainly linked to occupational exposure to asbestos. This exposure may have taken place several decades before the disease developed.

Also in 2021, 1,409 new cases of mesothelioma were recorded in the EU, accounting for more than 4 in 10 occupational cancer cases. At national level, Italy recorded the highest number of mesothelioma deaths (518), followed by Germany (400), France (329), Spain (212), the Netherlands (173) and Poland (171).

In relative terms, mesothelioma will account for around 40% of all occupational cancer cases between 2013 and 2021.

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