Victims and campaigners from Rochdale are set to attend an asbestos awareness day in a bid to help reduce the number of people who die from exposure to the material.
Taking place in Manchester on July 2nd, the event will be used to mark the deaths of people who have died from diseases such as mesothelioma, and aim for a positive solution to ensure that generations are kept safe from asbestos.
Jason Addy, a Save Spodden Valley campaigner, told Rochdale Today that the conference was 'very fitting' as Rochdale was the place where the first asbestosis death was recorded in 1924.
"Today over 2,000 people die each year in the UK of mesothelioma - the trend is still rising. There is no cure for mesothelioma - it is considered a very cruel disease but also a lottery as to who exposed to asbestos may succumb to it," he added.
The Health and Safety Executive said that people who smoke and are also exposed to asbestos fibres are at a much greater risk of developing lung cancer.