Australian Mesothelioma Patients to Receive State Aid

Patients who are dealing with mesothelioma and other diseases related to asbestos exposure in the Australian state of Queensland will soon receive aid from the state government. Premier Anna Bligh, the top elected leader in the state, announced that the State Government would donate AU$533,000 (US$505,500) to the Queensland Asbestos Related Disease Support Society (QARDSS) over the next three years.

Ms. Bligh said that the money would be earmarked for the group to hire a full-time social worker and two new support staff members. The donation, through the auspices of the state health department, would allow staffers to “support people affected by Asbestos-related diseases”.

QARDSS was founded in 1992 in Brisbane and started with thirty-five members. Nearly twenty years later, membership has grown to over a thousand. Seventy percent of the members are current patients dealing with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related respiratory disorders, while the rest of the membership consists largely of survivors of patients who had fallen victim to these diseases, as well as doctors, public health officials and government leaders.

Ms. Bligh also mentioned that, since the group’s founding, more than three hundred members have passed away from asbestos-related lung diseases. She said that the support QARDSS offers to both current patients and survivors was “invaluable” and that the group’s support helps its members “feel less socially isolated” during such a trying time.

Paul Lucas, the Queensland Deputy Premier and Minister for Health, said that asbestos-related diseases are on the rise in nearly every part of the country. Since diseases such as mesothelioma may take decades to exhibit recognizable symptoms, the incidence rates continue to grow as the workers who were exposed to asbestos reach retirement age. Mr. Lucas also said that public health officials expect the rate of asbestos-related diseases to continue to climb for at least the next ten years.

Mr. Lucas also cited some other statistics related to the rise of mesothelioma in the state. He said that the incidence rate for mesothelioma in Queensland has nearly tripled since 1990. From 1982 to 1986, the mortality rate for asbestos-related diseases in the state was less than one in one hundred thousand. In 2001, the mortality rate rose more than 250 percent. In the ten-year period from 1998 to 2008, more than a thousand patients received hospital care for asbestosis, a lung disease tied to asbestos exposure.

Mr. Lucas mentioned that many of those affected by asbestos-related diseases are lower- to lower-middle-class workers, most of whom worked in construction, shipbuilding or other types of manual labor. These workers handled asbestos-laced products, such as concrete and wall insulation, on a daily basis during their working lives. Many of them did not have proper protective equipment, including special coveralls and breathing masks, so they inhaled the carcinogenic fibers.

Mr. Lucas reiterated that the support that QARDSS gives to these families is “so vital for sufferers and their families.” He said that the nature of asbestos-related diseases, which are nearly always fatal, “means sufferers and their families need strong support”.

Sourcess: Sydney Morning Herald, Mysunshinecoast.com.au