These sad statistics are a legacy of our industrial past

John Monks, TUC general secretary

Tyne and Wear has had the highest number of deaths in recent years, with other "hotspots" including Devon and London.

"These sad statistics are a legacy of our industrial past," said TUC general secretary John Monks.

"Thousands of workers have been exposed to asbestos and the plague will go on killing in greater and greater numbers.

"All we can do to help those affected is to fight to ensure that they and their families receive the compensation they are entitled to."

Global ban

The GMB union has called for a global ban on the production and use of asbestos.

"The killing of workers by asbestos fibres must stop," said general secretary John Edmonds.

London trade unionists were marking the memorial day by staging a march in memory of the 35 people who died in the Clapham rail crash 13 years ago.

The main diseases caused by asbestos inhalation are:

• asbestosis - the scarring of lung tissue
• lung cancer
• mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the chest and lungs)
• pleural diseases, which include fluid on the lungs

Those infected are mainly builders, plumbers and shipyard workers, but teachers, children and nurses are believed to have been put at risk since asbestos was used in the construction of several schools and hospitals.

Families of those who work with asbestos can also be infected if asbestos particles are brought into the home on clothes. It can take up to 40 years for symptoms to show.