The paper has revealed how deaths from asbestos-related diseases could reach at least 200,000 - and many of the victims will not even be aware they are at risk until it is too late. The shocking figures are the grim legacy of the millions of tons of the dust shipped to Britain to make homes, schools, offices and factories fire resistant.

Among those most at risk are carpenters, laggers, plumbers and electricians who worked on building sites around the country.

It is predicted more than 2,000 people a year will die from mesothelioma alone - a lung cancer caused by asbestos. Adding deaths from asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis, annual fatalities could reach 6,000.

One expert branded the rising number of deaths a "silent and working class epidemic" because of the nature of who it affects most.

Backed by doctors, union chiefs, charities and politicians, we are calling for a £10 million national centre for asbestos diseases and better compensation for victims along with other demands such as a public register of all asbestos surveys carried out on public buildings.

Sheffield lung surgeon John Edwards branded it "the number one public health disaster" plus he demanded more funds for research.

Mr Edwards, chair of the British Mesothelioma Interest Group, said: "This is a silent epidemic. Patients don't know about it. We can't even pronounce mesothelioma. There's no time to delay the response to rapid access to funds. We need a big sum now. Our hands are tied. We don't have time to wait."

Asbestos is a man-made problem.

Successive governments failed to ban imports for decades so this government has a moral and social responsibility for sufferers. "The real issue is the lack of research and the lack of effective treatments."

The UK has the world's highest mesothelioma rate. It mostly affects men, but is the fastest-growing cancer among women. Yet it is one of the least researched of the UK's cancers. For every £100 spent on research, just a few pennies go on mesothelioma.

Asbestos diseases expert Professor Julian Peto told the Daily Mirror the epidemic will not peak until 2025 - 10 years longer than feared.

He said it can take up to 30 years for the dust to make its devastating mark. Professor Peto added: "Once exposed your risk is increasing for the rest of your life. It's extraordinary. There is no risk at all for the first 15 years and very little risk within 30 years but then it keeps going up for ever. "

"Thirty years ago everyone was sawing up asbestos left, right and centre. It used to be rare but now everyone of my generation knows someone with the disease. It is happening already and will become more extreme. As time goes on you will get this increasing rate in old age all the way up to 2030."

"It's older working class men who are dying and that affects the public perception of it. It's a working class epidemic."

Mr Edwards warned up to 70,000 people who worked with the killer dust could have no idea they are doomed. Asbestos imports reached a peak in the 70s with 190,000 tons a year brought into this country. The asbestos disease hotspots are all areas of traditional heavy industry. Nine out of the top 10 are around former shipyards.

Fears were raised about the dangers more than 100 years ago but the link between the dust and cancer wasn't made until the 50s.

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