Statistics on Repetitive Strain Injury
Asbestos related pleural thickening is a non-cancerous but serious disease in which extensive fibrosis (scarring) of the lungs lining (pleura) impairs lung function. It often causes breathlessness, chest pain and reduced lung expansion and is most commonly triggered by inhaling asbestos fibres, typically decades prior. Pleural thickening is one of several asbestos related diseases that manifest long after exposure, reflecting the legacy of heavy industrial asbestos use in the mid-20th century.
Five Year Trends and Long-Term Patterns
Looking at the past five years and beyond, a clear pattern emerges shaped by the long latency of asbestos illness and recent external events. Prior to 2020 the annual number of new pleural thickening cases in Great Britain was fairly steady, averaging roughly 450 to 460 cases per year throughout the 2010s. The disruption in 2020 due to COVID 19 introduced an atypical dip in reported cases, down to 185, less than half of the usual number. This was followed by a return to approximately normal levels in 2021 (460 cases) as diagnostic services resumed. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) specifically noted that the 2020 figure was abnormally low due to pandemic disruptions, rather than a sudden decline in incidence.
Occupational and Demographic Factors
Most individuals diagnosed with diffuse pleural thickening have a history of working in jobs with significant asbestos dust exposure, often decades earlier. In particular, the construction industry and related skilled trades have produced a large share of cases. Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, pipe fitters and other trades people who disturbed asbestos containing materials (insulation board, ceiling tiles etc) are frequently represented among pleural thickening patients.
Shipyard and ship building workers are another high-risk group as well as workers from the asbestos removal industry itself (prior to modern protections) also contributing to the caseload. Because the high-risk industries were predominantly male, men account for the overwhelming majority of pleural thickening patients, typically 97-99% of cases each year.
HSE data confirms that only around 1-3% cases occur in women, a proportion that has remained low and stable over time. The age profile of affected individuals is also notably high. Most patients are older adults (over 60 years old) by the time pleural thickening is detected, which is due to the disease’s very long latency (decades after exposure).
Geographically, pleural thickening cases are distributed across the UK, but there are higher concentrations in regions that have intensive asbestos using industries, an example being the shipbuilding hubs in both Glasgow and Newcastle.