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Study to Examine Connection Between Asbestos Exposure and Ovarian Cancer
Australian researchers plan to study a possible link between asbestos exposure and ovarian cancer. The study is one of the first to examine the affects of exposure on women.
The study will focus on women who lived in Wittenoom, Australia. The recently de-gazetted town once operated one of the world's largest asbestos mines but when it closed the town of 20,000 evaporated as health concerns and economic decline sealed its fate.
The death toll for residents and workers exposed to asbestos is estimated to top 2,000. The sad legacy of Wittenoom also has a silver lining as researchers have an enormous pool for asbestos disease studies.
The collection of research known as the "Wittenoom Studies" has given scientists the ability to see if any other diseases have higher incidence rates that could be attributed to asbestos exposure.