The Australian Mesothelioma Registry (AMR) has released a new annual report (PDF) showing a decrease in the number of new cases, as the deadly legacy of asbestos insulation continues.

The AMR received 575 notifications of new mesothelioma diagnoses (465 males and 110 females) between January 1 and December 31, 2013. This is compared to 619 new cases reported in the twelve months prior.

The most common subtype of mesothelioma remains the epithelioid subtype, which is identified in 46.8 per cent of new cases.

Mesothelioma is located in the pleura (lower part of the lungs) in 93.9 per cent of cases.

The asbestos-linked disease remains as deadly as ever, with 37.9 per cent of mesothelioma patients recorded as having died at the time of diagnosis, and of those where cause of death was known, 89.4 per cent were recorded as being due to mesothelioma.

The link between mesothelioma and asbestos (typically in the form of building insulation) remains strong too, with 60.9 per cent of cases found to have “possible or probable occupational asbestos exposure”. A further 32.5 per cent were found to have asbestos exposure in non-occupational contexts.

The Australian Mesothelioma Registry is funded by Safe Work Australia and Comcare and managed by the Cancer Institute New South Wales and the Monash Centre for Occupational & Environmental Health.

SafeWork Australia says that the AMR has only been fully operational since July 2010, and so it does not have the information to draw a final conclusions about asbestos exposure, but the authorities say it will be just a matter of time before the accumulated knowledge will provide valuable insight into specific sources of asbestos exposure and culpability.