Compensation of pleural mesothelioma in construction workers in France

Background: most of pleural mesothelioma are linked to previous occupational exposure to asbestos. There are several systems for compensation of this disease in France Aim: to study factors associated with the compensation of the disease in subjects included in the National Mesothelioma Surveillance Program (PNSM), and having had at least one job in the construction industry during their working life. Methods: Occupational disease reports (OD) and data from the Asbestos Victims Compensation Fund (FIVA) were analyzed in men with confirmed diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma between 1999 and 2015. Chi2 and Fisher tests, as well as an unconditional logistic regression model were used to test the association with the following variables: age at diagnosis, likelihood of occupational exposure to asbestos, marital status, residence department, socio-professional category and the fact of having at least one job in the construction industry. Results: Of the 1409 men, 40% had at least one job in the construction industry (average duration : 17.5 years). In univariate analysis, subjects having had at least one job in the construction industry asked more frequently for compensation as OD than workers having never worked in this industry (82% versus 55%, p = 0.002). They also claimed for compensation to the FIVA more frequently. In multivariate analysis, the factors associated with claim for compensation as OD were age below 75 years, blue collar status, marital status and work in the construction. Conclusion: construction workers represent a high proportion of subjects registered in the PNSM, with a substantial proportion of construction workers (depending on the type of job held) that do not claim for any compensation in France