title: Incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Aboriginal people in Western Australia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the incidence of malignant mesothelioma (MM) in Aboriginal people in Western Australia (WA) and determine the main routes of exposure to asbestos in this population.
  
  
  METHODS
  All MM cases in Western Australia, as well as the primary source of asbestos exposure, are recorded in the WA Mesothelioma Register. Aboriginal cases up to the end of 2013 were extracted from the register and compared with non-Aboriginal cases with respect to the primary means/source of exposure. Age-standardised incidence rates for each decade from 1980 were calculated for both Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals. Age-standardised mortality rates were calculated for the period 1994-2008 and compared with international rates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 39 cases (77% male) of MM among WA Aboriginal people. Twenty-six (67%) were a direct result of the mining of crocidolite at Wittenoom and the subsequent contamination of the surrounding lands. Of the non-Aboriginal MM cases (n = 2070, 86.3% male), fewer than 25% can be attributed to Wittenoom. Aboriginals had consistently higher 10-year incidence rates than non-Aboriginals and, when compared to world populations, the highest mortality rate internationally.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When incidence rates in Aboriginal people are compared with non-Aboriginal people, the Wittenoom mining operation has had a disproportionate effect on MM incidence in the local Aboriginal population.
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Curtin University, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia.
authors.forename: Nola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Telethon Kids Institute, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Klerk
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia.|Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Fraser
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brims
authors.affiliation: Western Australian Department of Health.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Threlfall
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Queensland.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia.|Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Arthur Bill
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Musk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001194:Asbestos; D017638:Asbestos, Crocidolite; D015984:Causality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000086002:Mesothelioma, Malignant; D008875:Middle Aged; D008906:Mining / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D017638:Asbestos, Crocidolite; D001194:Asbestos
keywords: Aboriginals; asbestos; malignant mesothelioma