cg@bmcf.co.uk

Mesothelioma UK recently funded the MINNOW study, a study dedicated to understanding the emotional and psychological impact of mesothelioma on its sufferers and their loved ones. The primary focus of the study was to gain valuable insight into the well-being and mental health effects of living with mesothelioma, both for the patient and their informal caregiver(s). In addition, the strategies that they employ to best manage their mental health were investigated whilst considering which strategies are most effective. Conducted at the Mesothelioma UK Research Centre at the University of Sheffield, the 18-month-long study encompassed a survey completed by 96 participants. It included [...]

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), the lightweight and low-cost concrete utilised in roofing and wall construction in many civil buildings, was recently found to be at risk of collapse in many UK schools due to its estimated 30-year life span. Emergency repair work is required for more than 150 UK schools; however, this may be subject to delay since the use of RAAC between the 1950s and 1990s was often in conjunction with asbestos. According to National Education General Secretary Daniel Keeble, in a recent interview with Sky, the risks to school children are ‘high’ when asbestos exposure and RAAC are [...]

One of the many cruel features of asbestos disease, is that its victims are usually of advanced years. The period between an asbestos victim getting exposed to asbestos, and starting to show symptoms, is a long one – anything from fifteen years to as many as fifty. This period is called ‘the latency period’. Therefore, of the roughly 5000 or so deaths from asbestos disease that happen every year, most involve asbestos victims in their seventies or older. Cancer Research carried out a study a few years ago which revealed that six in ten deaths from mesothelioma (a form of cancer [...]