Asbestos-related diseases are one of the burning public health issues worldwide. The incidence and the epidemiological
patterns of malignant pleural mesothelioma in Split-Dalmatian County, where a large part of Croatian industry related
to asbestos processing and use have been situated were assessed in this study. The history of asbestos-related issues
and development of current legislation in Croatia was also discussed briefly. Data on the incidence were collected retrospectively
from the medical records of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma treated at Department of Pulmonary
Diseases University Hospital Split during the 2000–2007 period. A total of 137 new cases was recorded with the
mean incidence of 3.55/100 000 and the trend was increasing over years compared with 1992–1995 period in the same
county when the mean incidence was 1.7/100000. Men accounted for 85.4% of all cases. The mean age of patients was
64.9±15.4 years. The majority of patients were occupationally exposed to asbestos (85.4%), 8.8% had environmental exposure,
and 2.2% had domestic exposure. The type of household exposition was in 5.8% of patients. More than half of the
cases were exposed to asbestos 31–40 years. The mean length of exposure was 28.87±15.63 years. The incidence of malignant
pleural mesothelioma in Split-Dalmatian County has been obviously increasing due to the predominantly occupational
exposure and it is reasonable to assume that it will remain high in the next two –three decades and to be a reason
for concern and fear among the general population.