MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMA CASES

Reported cases of malignant mesothelioma by state and county

The number of malignant mesothelioma cases have been rising in the United States for the past 30 years. Known the world over as the signature asbestos-related cancer with no cure and a short life expectancy, malignant mesothelioma cases will peak in the United States in 2010, say researchers at the Centers For Disease Control.

If you’ve been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and wish to speak with a mesothelioma cancer lawyer for details about mesothelioma claims, please contact Weitz & Luxenberg through the form at left.

Update on malignant mesothelioma cases.

July 15, 2010 – Deaths from asbestos in the United States are rising. Malignant mesothelioma and asbestosis mortality cases rose steadily from 1979 through 1998, according to the EWG Action Fund, a nonprofit environmental research group headquartered in Washington, D.C.

According to their study, mortalities from asbestosis rose at more than three times the rate of mesothelioma, at 7.8 percent per year, compared to 2.3 percent annually for malignant mesothelioma cases over the 22-year period 1979-2001.

Workers who have spent time in asbestos-plagued high risk jobs in the construction, automotive or plumbing industries, or are Naval veterans, unfortunately risk developing malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma cases by state

California, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas totaled the most asbestosis and mesothelioma fatalities from 1979 through 2001, at between 3,800 and 5,900 deaths each.

In nine of the top 10 states, the number of combined malignant mesothelioma cases and asbestosis fatalities is increasing every year.

Seventeen states had more than 1,000 asbestos fatalities from these two diseases during these years, and no states reported zero deaths.

Only two states, Wyoming and Alaska, had less than 100 deaths from asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma during the 22-year period where data are available.

Malignant mesothelioma cases by county

The top U.S. counties for reported asbestos mortality cases from malignant mesothelioma and asbestosis are Los Angeles County, Calif.; Cook County, Ill.; Philadelphia County, Pa.; King County, Wash.; and Harris County, Texas. These counties had from 400 to 1,200 deaths from these two diseases during the time period of the study.

Several counties stand out with a high number of asbestos-related fatalities, while their states ranked lower overall. Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland, and Arizona were not in the top 10 states for asbestos mortality, but four counties within these states (Wayne County, Mich.; Middlesex County, Mass.; Baltimore County, Md; and Maricopa County, Ariz.), ranked in the top 20 out of more than 2,000 counties reporting asbestos-related mortalities.