Mesothilioma Statistics

* Mesothilioma represents less than 1% of all cancers, and is considered rare
* There are approximately 2,500 new cases of Mesothilioma reported in the US each year.
* More than 70% of people who develop mesothilioma have worked in environments where they were exposed to asbestos directly.
* It takes approximately 20 to 40 years for Mesothilioma to appear after exposure to asbestos
* The ratio of men to women who develop Mesothilioma is 3 to 1
* The median age for people who develop Mesothilioma is 73, and the risk increases with age.
* This disease can appear in either men or women at any age.
* Mesothilioma is commonly diagnosed in people over the age 55.
* Approximately 75% of mesothilioma victims are over the age of 65.
* Men are 5 times more likely than women to develop misothelioma.
* The average life expectancy after being diagnosed with mesothilioma is approximately 1 to 2 years.
* Only 9% of patients with mesothilioma live past the 5 year mark after diagnosis.
* Between 2,000 and 5,000 deaths are attributed to asbestos-related diseases each year, not all are related to Mesothilioma
* Pleural Mesothilioma accounts for approximately 75% of cases, which begin in the lining surrounding the lungs.
* Peritoneal Mesothilioma accounts for 10% to 20% of mesothelioma appear in abdominal tissue and its surrounding area
 * An estimated 27 million people have been exposed to asbestos from 1940 to 1979 throughout the US alone
* Asbestos has not been manufactured since the late 1970s, but still exists in buildings and products around the Western world
* Approximately 1,000 tons of asbestos was released into the atmosphere as a result of the collapse of the World Trade Centre on September 11th, 2001.
* Until 2002, approximately 730,000 people had filed claims for asbestos-related injuries.
* Over 8,400 companies have been identified in asbestos-related incidents
* Total spending on asbestos litigation until 2002 was approximately $70 billion.