People today are extremely health conscious: we worry about what we eat, how much we exercise, and more. The majority of people, however, are probably not overly preoccupied with the threat of asbestos exposure and the potential development of mesothelioma. The threat related to mesothelioma is very real, and it is crucial that the public understand this debilitating disease and how they can prevent a mesothelioma diagnosis.
Individuals can be exposed to asbestos in a variety of ways. Prior to the 1980’s, asbestos was a very widely used structural material that could be found in a variety of products, including insulation, drywall, acoustical plaster, and floor and ceiling tiles. Professionals who worked in industries that utilized such materials, such as construction, face the potential for asbestos inhalation. Other individuals, such as veterans, miners, automobile mechanics, and firefighters are also at risk.
Asbestos fibers are very tiny and have a claw-like structure. When asbestos-containing materials are disturbed or damaged, these tiny fibers may become airborne, putting individuals at risk for inhalation. If the fibers are inhaled, their claw-like structure allows them to potentially cling to the lining of the body’s internal organs for up to fifty years. These fibers most generally locate themselves in the lining of the lungs, also known as the pleura. Individuals who develop mesothelioma may not experience mesothelioma symptoms for decades. Upon a mesothelioma diagnosis, an individual will generally succumb to this painful form of cancer in less than two years. The survival rate for mesothelioma is less than 1%, and there is no known cure.
Both men and women are at risk for developing mesothelioma. If you are a professional who may come in contact with asbestos, it is important to understand how to protect yourself. Wearing a breathing apparatus or mask to prevent inhalation while handling asbestos-containing materials is crucial, as is proper cross-ventilation in the workplace. It is also beneficial to wear disposal clothing items, including gloves, when handling asbestos. One should always abide by appropriate removal and disposal methods as well.
Mesothelioma is a devastating disease, but there are mesothelioma treatment options. Researchers and scientists continue to take steps toward new and advanced treatments and are hopeful that one day, we will find a cure.
The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center is the web’s foremost resource for information related to asbestos exposure, mesothelioma, treatment options, and more. For additional information, please visit the MAA Center site.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer, predominantly caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. In fact, mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium, the sheath that covers major organs such as the lungs (pleurum), the heart (pericardium) and the abdominal cavity (peritoneum). Pleural mesothelioma is by far the most common kind.

Mesothelioma and Asbestos

When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they become embedded in the lining of the lungs. Due to their small needle-like size, the normal defenses of the body are unable to detect them. Usually, any foreign bodies such as this would either be coughed up, or be removed through a build-up of mucus around them. But nor asbestos. They cause inflammation of the lungs and tissue damage, leading to scarring and coughing. These are the initial symptoms of asbestosis, though asbestosis is not mesothelioma.

No one knows for sure why cancers develop, but once cancerous cells are formed in the pleura, it gradually becomes thicker, and over time restricts breathing and causes shortness of breath and coughing. What is known as ‘pleural effusion’ occurs, as the fluid of the pleura, designed to lubricate the movement of the lungs against the other organs nearby, builds up and exerts pressure on the lungs. The thickening of the pleura continues as an increasing number of cells become cancerous, until death eventually occurs.

The Effect of Smoking

Although smoking is known to lead to a number of forms of cancer, it does not in itself promote mesothelioma. However, a patient that has been exposed to asbestos, and who also smokes, will be more liable to contract the disease than a non-smoker will. This is why smokers are generally awarded lower sums in compensation than non-smokers with the same condition. However, it would be wrong to state that smoking is a cause of mesothelioma.

It is, however, the cause of many more lung cancer cases than mesothelioma caused by asbestos, and smoking and asbestos together also increase the risk of the patient developing general lung cancer, just as prolonged exposure to asbestos causes more than just mesothelioma. Asbestos lung cancer and mesothelioma are not the same thing.

Symptoms

The major symptoms are shortness of breath, weight loss, nausea and pain. This is true of all forms of mesothelioma, not only pleural mesothelioma. In the case of peritoneal mesothelioma, the abdomen becomes very painful and distended, just as the pleural version causes tightening and swelling in the chest due to pleural effusion. The pressure created can also result in pain, apart from that of the cancer itself.

Diagnosis

If the disease is not diagnosed early, then survival is unlikely. Therefore, any person who has previously worked in the asbestos industry, or has used asbestos in their employment, should make their doctor aware of that fact. They can then be placed on a schedule of regular examinations designed to detect the first signs of the disease. If the condition is detected early enough, most treatments available can be used effectively, and surgery is much more likely to be effective if the area affected is able to be isolated.

If you have contracted the disease, stopping smoking is essential, and you must try to avoid all infections of the lungs and airways. It is possible to have the condition treated, but if diagnosed too late then treatment tends to be palliative, and designed to make the patient as comfortable as possible.

It is essential, therefore, that people that have a history of contact with asbestos inform their physician immediately to make sure that if the symptoms do occur, they are spotted before any lasting harm can be done. Only then will there be a hope of a cure and successful recovery from this insidious disease.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer in the general population. However, in individuals that were exposed to asbestos, it is not as rare. There are experts that have speculated on other causes. Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer in the general population. However, in individuals that were exposed to asbestos, it is not as rare. There are experts that have speculated on other causes. There are incidences of Mesothelioma with no known asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma is not a lung cancer. Smoking does not cause it. It is a cancer of the mesothelial cells. We should lear about the difference between metastatic and advanced cancer.

Causes of Mesothelioma
The only known, established cause of Mesothelioma is asbestos. The asbestos fibers are breathed in, travel through the lung and become lodged in the pleura, the thin, saran wrap-type membrane that lines that encases the lung. The pleura, produces a special lubricating fluid that facilitates the ability of the lungs to move inside the chest during breathing. The process of irritation from the infiltration of the asbestos fibers creates changes in the cells, which causes the Mesothelioma. This is known as pleural Mesothelioma. Less common is peritoneal Mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the membrane that encompasses the lining of the abdomen. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 4% [?]

Mesothelioma research funding may increase if an asbestos bill, recently introduced to Congress, is passed.

The legislation, known as H.R. 3339, issued a proposal to ban the use of all asbestos and increase federal funding for research of treatments to fight against asbestos-related illnesses or conditions. The bill will go to the Committee on Energy and Commerce; it was introduced in August 2007 by 54 co-sponsors.

The purpose of the bill is to add amendments to the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) of the United States, which was passed in 1976. Although the TSCA was amended several times in the last few years to address asbestos as a hazardous material, the amendments did nothing as far as offering federally authorized funding directly for asbestos-related illnesses.

One of the amendments simply authorized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to create requirements as far as asbestos abatement in schools. H.R. 3339 has also been referred to as the “Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act 2007.” Vento, who was not only a state legislator and a member of Congress representing the Fourth District of Minnesota, he was also a schoolteacher and a victim of pleural mesothelioma who died in late 2000.

Mesothelioma Victims Slipping through the Cracks

While asbestos is considered a highly carcinogenic contaminant, the United States Geological Survey reported that 2,000 metric tons (approximately 4.4 million pounds) of asbestos was used in 2006 with the Department of Commerce also estimating that approximately $100 million was spent on importing brake parts each year, with these parts allegedly showing traces of asbestos.

The following are facts and statistics of the state of the asbestos industry in the United States currently and highlighted in H.R. 3339:

* There is no known safe inhalation level of asbestos exposure.

* Products imported from foreign areas may have little-to-no asbestos regulations causing asbestos-tainted products to be imported to the United States.

* New uses of asbestos were essentially banned with the TSCA, but asbestos continues to be imported and used in consumer and industrial products.

* The median survival period for mesothelioma is a mere one-year after diagnosis.

* Europe had a widespread ban of asbestos in 2005.

Asbestos Bill Breakdown

Essentially, with H.R. 3339, supporters are hoping to develop an in-depth study that will:

* Evaluate the health effects of non-asbestoiform minerals and elongated mineral particles.

* Develop recommendations to identify, distinguish and measure these minerals and particles, which may or may not cause diseases or adverse health effects.

* Provide a description of these minerals and their ability to remain biopersistent in the human body.

* Provide a description of mesothelioma, or any other form of cancer or non-cancer form of disease that is caused by these minerals and particles.

* Develop improved sampling and analytical methods for non-asbestoform minerals and elongated mineral particles.

* Within 18 months of the bill becoming law, it would require that a scientific-based study be done.

* The sponsors of the bill have also enacted a portion of the bill to address the need for public education and awareness program.

* A campaign to educate the public would need to begin within one year of the bill becoming law.

* The program would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Secretary of Labor to work together to devise a plan for a public-education campaign.

The bill requires the campaign to address the following:

* Increase awareness of asbestos-containing materials, products and contaminants in homes and work environments

* Increase awareness of asbestos-induced conditions and illnesses

* Offer current and informative information on asbestos-related conditions to patients, family members and health care providers

* Improve awareness of asbestos exposure dangers and the health effects of exposure

* Providing information on symptoms of asbestos exposure

* Increase publicity of research, treatments and clinical treatment trials for patients, family members and health-care providers

Battling Mesothelioma

Patients who are currently suffering from a form of mesothelioma cancer or other asbestos-induced conditions are advised to contact an experienced mesothelioma law firm.

Developing mesothelioma litigation is a potential source for receiving monetary compensation for the lengthy and expensive costs and bills associated with this asbestos-related illness.

Because of the severity of the condition as well as the short life expectancy upon diagnosis, it’s important for individuals suffering from this condition to act quickly and seek out the money deserved for this preventable disease.

Popularity: 3% [?]