Problem of the past?

January 4th, 2010

Its back to work this week and I am sure there are plenty of us struggling already to keep our New Year resolutions.

As I prepare to head back through to Edinburgh, I am able to take some comfort from the fact that, even though it is a new year, I am looking forward to tackling an old theme.

The Scottish Parliament has stood fully behind asbestos campaigners.

With cross-party support on this important issue, we have made significant progress and are determined to achieve much more.

Part of the challenge though is changing the perception that asbestos is a problem of the past.

In the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area alone, the health authority which cares for Inverclyde, more than 200 people a year for the last five years have been diagnosed with either mesothelioma, pleural plaques or asbestosis.

This shocking toll makes exposure to asbestos the biggest single cause of work-related deaths.

Worryingly, the numbers of people dying of an asbestos-related disease is rising and is yet to peak.

That is why I welcomed the publication of a strategy document from the National Centre for Asbestos-Related Diseases, setting out targets and ambitions for this area.

Among the recommendations are efforts to develop more effective treatments for malignant mesothelioma and better ways of sharing information among research groups.

So I look forward to a debate this week on the report, which will hopefully set out what we as a parliament can do to act on these findings.

We need to send a clear message to victims and their families in Scotland that we will keep working on their behalf.

And if we are to prevent future cases of asbestos exposure to another generation, it is vital that we continue to work to improve awareness, research and treatment of asbestos-related diseases.