The Government has been requested to fund the creation of a National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease or NCARD in the UK. A petition, formally containing the request, and endorsed by 24,000 people, has been submitted to the Prime Minister at his 10 Downing Street residence.
The petition contains the plea for a virtual centre to be opened for supporting research into diseases caused by asbestos, such as mesothelioma, which is a deadly cancer in the lining of the lungs. It is expected that the creation of such a centre would cost about £7 million.
At present there is no monetary help provided by the Government targeting asbestos-related diseases. Public donations are the only way to fund such research programmes, which is grossly insufficient.
About 2,000 people lose their lives to mesothelioma every year in UK, usually as a result of direct exposure to asbestos at their workplace. According to Chris Knighton of the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund, who handed over the petition, the number of deaths due to mesothelioma is not expected to fall over the next 5-6 years. This shows that there is no time to wait and the government needs to stand up to its responsibility of saving these precious lives.
Knighton asked for quick action to provide funds to medical researchers in this field who can develop life saving treatments. He also said that more funding would help draw more medical researchers into this area, thus greatly increasing the chances of finding cures.
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