China could face a large increase in the incidence of a rare but deadly form of cancer linked to asbestos by 2030 if it doesn't take proper measures to rid buildings of the material, doctors said over the weekend. 

US-based Eli Lilly announced over the weekend that it has introduced Alimta, the world's first medication to treat the asbestos-related malign pleural mesothelioma, or MPM, a cancer of the chest and abdominal linings.

Currently, about 10,000 to 15,000 people are diagnosed with MPM annually around the world.

"Though many western countries have banned several asbestos products, the international medical community estimated a MPM peak in 2010 in the United States and in 2020 in Europe," said Dr Liao Meilin from Shanghai Chest Hospital.

The incidence in China is still as low as three to five in every 1 million, but the incidence rate is on the rise and should peak around 2030, since asbestos is still used in many industries and workers don't adopt proper protection, experts said.

Asbestos is a mineral fiber used in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire-retardant. It can be found in older homes, pipe and furnace insulation materials, asbestos shingles and other coating materials.

Elevated concentrations of airborne asbestos occur after asbestos-containing materials are disturbed by cutting, sanding or other remodeling activities. Most people with asbestos-related diseases were exposed to elevated concentrations on the job; some developed disease from exposure to clothing and equipment brought home from job sites.

"There is no immediate symptoms, but patients can develop chest and abdominal cancers and lung diseases in 20 to 40 years," Liao said.

(Shanghai Daily December 19, 2005)