Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by past exposure to asbestos. Annual deaths in Britain increased steeply over the last 50 years, with many deaths attributed to past occupational asbestos exposures because of the widespread industrial use of asbestos during 1950-1980.

In 2022, there were 2,257 mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain, slightly lower than the 2,290 deaths in 2021 and substantially lower than the average of 2,529 deaths per year from 2012 to 2020.

The total number of deaths in 2022 remains consistent with earlier projections that annual deaths would fall gradually on average during the 2020s.

In 2022, there were 1,838 male deaths and 419 female deaths, compared with 1,883 and 407 in 2021, respectively.

Predictions for males suggest that annual numbers will gradually reduce on average during the 2020s, whilst predictions for females indicate that there will continue to be 400-500 deaths per year.

The data shows that an earlier decline in annual male deaths may be due to particularly heavy asbestos exposures in specific industries that mainly affected men (such as shipbuilding) being eliminated first – whereas exposures due to the use of asbestos in construction, which affected many men, but also some women – continued after 1970.

A study of mesothelioma in Great Britain showed the high disease burden among former building workers.

That study suggested that about 46% of the mesotheliomas among men born in the 1940s would be attributed to such exposures, with 17% to carpentry work alone.