Death certificate data for Libby mesothelioma, a result of asbestos exposure

Only 12 percent of mesothelioma deaths correctly ID’d on Libby death certificates.

The attorneys at the personal injury law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg have decades of experience defending victim’s rights in practice areas that include: accidents/general injury, dangerous drugs, medical malpractice, and environmental pollutants.

NEWS UPDATE:

The usefulness of death certificate data for Libby, MT, is limited for asbestos-related deaths. This is particularly true with respect to malignant mesothelioma, a sentinel outcome for asbestos exposure.

Diagnoses of nonmalignant respiratory diseases are less likely to agree with autopsy data compared with other diagnoses.

Numerous reports have documented discrepancies between categorization of cause of death through clinical findings when compared with autopsy diagnoses. Even when autopsies are performed, this information is rarely used to supplement or update the underlying cause of death on death certificates.

This is particularly true in regards to malignant mesothelioma -- a result of serious asbestos exposure. In a prospective follow-up of workers in an asbestos products factory, Newhouse et al. reported that mesothelioma was misdiagnosed on 40% of death certificates.

Accurate reporting of the diagnosis of mesothelioma on death certificates is even worse for the general public, ranging from 20% to 29%.

In an analysis of the correlation between death certificate information and mesothelioma incidence as documented in a state-based cancer registry, only 12% of the mesothelioma deaths were correctly identified using the ICD-9 codes for pleural and peritoneal malignancies.

The Libby study population had a low autopsy rate (under 5%) that could contribute to non-differential misclassification of underlying causes of death.

Courtesy of the ATSDR and the CDC