Potential years of life lost (PYLL) caused by asbestos-related diseases in the world

• Published in: American journal of industrial medicine Vol. 56; no. 9; pp. 993 - 1000
• Main Authors: Diandini, Rachmania, Takahashi, Ken, Park, Eun-Kee, Jiang, Ying, Movahed, Mehrnoosh, Le, Giang Vinh, Lee, Lukas Jyuhn-Hsiarn, Delgermaa, Vanya, Kim, Rokho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2013; Wiley-Liss; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; age adjusted mortality rate; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; asbestos; asbestos-related diseases; asbestosis; Asbestosis - mortality; Biological and medical sciences; burden of disease; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Cost of Illness; Databases, Factual; disability adjusted life years (DALY); Female; global; Global Health - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Inorganic dusts (pneumoconiosises) and organic dusts (byssinosis etc.); Life Tables; Male; Medical sciences; mesothelioma; Mesothelioma - mortality; Middle Aged; Occupational medicine; potential years of life lost; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Toxicology; Lung disease; Asbestos; Lost life years; Occupational disease; Pneumoconiosis; Asbestosis; Respiratory disease; Disability-adjusted life-year; Mortality; disability adjusted life years (DALY); Mesothelioma; global; Occupational exposure; burden of disease; Morbidity; age adjusted mortality rate; Tumor; asbestos-related diseases; Occupational medicine; Age; Public health; potential years of life lost; asbestos; asbestosis; mesothelioma
• ISSN: 0271-3586; 1097-0274
• DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22206

Background We applied the well‐established, but rather under‐utilized, indicator of Potential Years of Life Lost (PYLL) to estimate the global burden of mesothelioma and asbestosis. Methods We analyzed all deaths caused by mesothelioma and asbestosis that were reported by 82 and 55 countries, respectively, to the World Health Organization (WHO) from 1994 to 2010. Results The 128,015 and 13,885 persons who died of mesothelioma and asbestosis, potentially lost a total of 2.18 million and 180,000 years of life (PYLL), or, an annual average PYLL of 201,000 years and 17,000 years, respectively. The average PYLL per decedent were 17.0 and 13.0 years for mesothelioma and asbestosis, respectively. Conclusions The current burden of asbestos‐related diseases (ARDs) in terms of PYLL is substantial. The future burden of ARDs can be eliminated by stopping the use of asbestos. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:993–1000, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.