Recommendation 3

Progress made since the gradual imposition of restrictions on the use of asbestos and its eventual ban in 1999 are no reason for complacency. Understanding the extent to which asbestos fibres are still being released from the fabric of buildings remains vital and requires different methods of analysis. Past measurement of fibres in lungs has shown that the lifetime risk from mesothelioma is substantially lower for people born in the late 1960s. For people born in the late 1980s, the risks appear even lower, but the numbers sampled are small and patterns of exposure may be subject to wide variation over time and between people.