My local/unitary authority area was identified as having a high risk of mesothelioma.

Does this mean there is a problem in my area or that I am at higher risk of being exposed to asbestos?

High-risk areas tend to be those containing, or near to, industrial sites where asbestos was used extensively in the past – for example, shipyards, asbestos manufacturing factories and railway engineering works.

This will usually mean that the area has a higher proportion of people who have worked in these industries than the average for the country, and excess mesotheliomas are likely to occur in people who have worked in them. In some cases there may have been a general environmental risk in places close to these sites in the past.

Individual risk has more to do with occupation rather than geographical location of residence. Nowadays, those working in building maintenance trades are likely to be at highest risk.