Cancer News, Treatment and Research

An Australian organization concerned with educating individuals about the dangers of asbestos exposure has announced that they are becoming increasingly alarmed about the popularity of do-it-yourself television shows that encourage homeowners to engage in their own home renovations. That’s because a large percentage of homes on the continent contain asbestos materials. According to an article in the Sydney Times, the Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia (ADFA) believes the trend towards do-it-yourself projects may affect women the most, citing the popularity with the female population of cable networks like Homes and Garden Television (HGTV) and shows like The Block and The Renovators. The same or similar networks and shows are available in the U.S. as well. “Unfortunately we’re heading for a third wave of victims and their families because home renovation is getting so big,” said Barry Robson, president of the ADFA, speaking at the launch of a nationwide awareness campaign this week. “An unfortunate by-product of this is the increase in the number of women now presenting with meso.” Robson believes that cases of mesothelioma among younger to middle-age women will spike in the next 40 years and stresses that do-it-yourself television has an obligation to better inform their viewers – especially Australians – about the dangers of undertaking such projects without first ordering an asbestos inspection . Following the inspection, licensed asbestos removal professionals should be hired if asbestos needs to be abated or encapsulated, Robson adds. In response to the growing concern about asbestos, ADFA is embarking on a nationwide tour to spread the word about its dangers. They’ll be toting a replica house with them, stopping in various communities to show locals where asbestos is most likely found in their own homes. The Asbestos Disease Research Institute notes that Australia has one of the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world, primarily because the country’s use of asbestos continued well past the time that most other countries halted its use. In the United States, asbestos use primarily ceased in the late 1970s, but about 2,500 U.S. residents are still diagnosed each year with asbestos-caused cancer.