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MP calls for Leeds asbestos disease research centre
A SPECIALIST research centre should be opened in Leeds in preparation for a rising tide of asbestos-related lung disease, an MP has said.
Leeds West MP John Battle is to urge Health Secretary Andy Burnham to significantly increase the Department of Health's investment in asbestos cancer research.
More than 20,000 people have signed a petition urging the creation of a state-of-the-art research centre and Mr Battle wants it built it in Leeds.
He said: "There is no reason why it shouldn't be in Leeds. We have got a good cancer unit and a good medical school.
"There is going to be a massive increase in mesothelioma cases in the next 20 years, which means now is the time to get on with it."
Mesothelioma is a fatal tumour found in the surface of the lung but is one of the least researched of the UK's top 20 cancers.
Leeds has suffered more than most through the use of asbestos, partly due to the work of the JW Roberts asbestos factory in Armley.
Because it can take decades for the disease to develop, experts expect cases to peak at around 2,400 by 2013.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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