England's Industrial North Has Nation's Highest Rate of Mesothelioma

The north of Britain —the area associated with coal mines and shipyards—has the highest rate of mesothelioma, the incurable cancer associated with asbestos exposure, new government statistics show. The death rate for males rose to 89.5 deaths per million people from 2005 to 2007, according to statistics from the Health and Safety Executive.

Mesothelioma is caused by inhaling microscopic fragments of asbestos which lodge in the lungs. Asbestos exposure often occurred in industrial settings or areas near where asbestos was mined or used in manufacturing, and the disease typically doesn't appear for 30 to 40 years.

Nationally, 2,156 people died of mesothelioma in Britain in 2007, an increase of 5 percent from the previous year. More than 35,000 people died of the disease from 1977 to 2007.