Two asbestosis cases in Chch

Press, 4 June 1984, Page 6

Two asbestosis cases in Chch

Two cases of asbestosis were reported to the Health Department in Christchurch last week. A Christchurch man, who worked with asbestos more than 20 years ago, has been diagnosed as suffering from the disease. The man’s work had involved lagging boilers with asbestos materials in many parts of New Zealand, said the Medical Officer of Health, Dr W. A. Malpress, yesterday. He did not think the man was severely affected by the disease. The second case was discovered in a post-mortem examination of an elderly man who had been exposed to asbestos while working overseas. Dr Malpress said that the

examination revealed several problems, but asbestosis probably contributed to the man’s death. Asbestosis was rare in New Zealand but these cases were typical of those that were reported, Dr Malpress said. The disease usually started years after exposure to asbestos and developed slowly. Only one or two cases of asbestosis were reported in Christchurch each year and more than half of the persons severely affected had been exposed to the material while working overseas. “The handling of asbestos has very much improved and people are more aware of the problems associated with it,” Dr Malpress said.