What does asbestos have to do with mesothelioma?
The only known cause of mesothelioma in the United States is previous
exposure to asbestos fibers. Asbestos manufacturers knew about the hazards of
asbestos seventy years ago - but they kept this knowledge to themselves. The
first warnings given to workers exposed to asbestos were in the mid-1960s, and
they were terribly inadequate. Even today, workers are not always told they are
working around asbestos and are at risk for asbestos disease.
What can someone with mesothelioma do?
- Seek out the best and most up-to-date information.
- Seek out the best medical care.
- Early screening for mesothelioma diagnosis.
- Stay in close contact with your doctor.
- Consider whether or not you want to bring a lawsuit because of this
asbestos-related injury.
- Remember that resources are available to you through community and
medical support groups, asbestos victims' organizations, your place of
worship, as well as your family and friends.
How common is mesothelioma?
Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years,
mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 new cases of
mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma occurs
more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease
can appear in either men or women at any age.
What are the risk factors for mesothelioma?
Working with asbestos is the major risk factor for mesothelioma. A history of
asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all
cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any
known exposure to asbestos.
Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of
strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven.
Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement,
brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. If
tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing
process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health
problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk
of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung ailment), and other
cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney.
Smoking does not appear to increase the risk of mesothelioma. However, the
combination of smoking and asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's
risk of developing cancer of the air passageways in the lung.
Who is at increased risk for developing mesothelioma?
Asbestos has been mined and used commercially since the late 1800s. Its use
greatly increased during World War II. Since the early 1940s, millions of
American workers have been exposed to asbestos dust. Initially, the risks
associated with asbestos exposure were not known. However, an increased risk of
developing mesothelioma was later found among shipyard workers, people who work
in asbestos mines and mills, producers of asbestos products, workers in the
heating and construction industries, and other tradespeople. Today, the U.S.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets limits for acceptable
levels of asbestos exposure in the workplace. People who work with asbestos wear
personal protective equipment to lower their risk of exposure.
The risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier exposure to
asbestos and longer exposure time. However, some individuals with only brief
exposures have developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all workers who
are heavily exposed develop asbestos-related diseases.
There is some evidence that family members and others living with asbestos
workers have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, and possibly other
asbestos-related diseases. This risk may be the result of exposure to asbestos
dust brought home on the clothing and hair of asbestos workers. To reduce the
chance of exposing family members to asbestos fibers, asbestos workers are
usually required to shower and change their clothing before leaving the
workplace.
People considering clinical trials may be interested in the NCI booklet
Taking Part in Clinical Trials: What Cancer Patients Need To Know. This booklet
describes how research studies are carried out and explains their possible
benefits and risks. The booklet is available by calling the CIS, or from the NCI
Publications Locator Web site at
http://cancer.gov/publications on the Internet.
Mesothelioma Lawsuit is the best way to find information about
Mesothelioma resources.
This web page takes the legwork out of finding great
Mesothelioma resources. We have compiled great links to
Mesothelioma
information and pages dedicated to
Asbestos Law Suit here. . .
To your right you will find links to various
Mesothelioma related pages. There you will find great information about
Asbestos Law Suit.
We've taken the time to check out each and every featured Mesothelioma website to make sure they are quality sites, with quality information.
Here you will find
some of the best resources on Asbestos Law Suit ever compiled
and some incredible resources
for Mesothelioma.
In our "Featured Mesothelioma Article"
section, you'll find an article related to Mesothelioma.
We will be providing you with updated and new featured articles on a regular
basis.
Additional
Mesothelioma links
Advisory Asbestos Australia Disease Service
Albuquerque Asbestos Attorney
Asbestos Abatement Training
Asbestos Association Contractor Removal
Asbestos Attorney California
Asbestos Attorney Lawyer
Asbestos Attorney Palm Twentynine
Asbestos Bag Disposal
Asbestos Canada Removal
Asbestos Consultant Milwaukee
Asbestos Flooring Removal
Asbestos Law Ohio
Asbestos Lawyer New York - Internet Error
Asbestos Lawyer Texas
Asbestos Nj Removal
Asbestos School Lawsuit
Asbestos Siding House
Asbestos Training
Asbestosis Picture
Cancer Esophageal Mesothelioma
Conducting An Asbestos Survey
Control Of Asbestos At Work Regulation
Mesothelioma Fact
Mesothelioma Info
Mesothelioma Litigation
New Jersey Mesothelioma Lawyer
Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Small Cell Cancer Mesothelioma
South Dakota Mesothelioma Attorney
St Louis Mesothelioma Lawyer
Diagnosis for
Malignant Mesothelioma Cancer: Screening
Explore the National Cancer
Institute's PDQ
The National Cancer Institute
provides a computer service called PDQ to give up-to-date information on cancer
issues for patients, their families, doctors, and other healthcare
professionals. Detailed information on detection, diagnosis, treatment, support
groups, clinical trials and treatments is reviewed and updated each month by
oncology experts. Each topic is discussed in two tracks, one for patients and
one for healthcare professionals.
You might want to visit the information written for patients first, in order to
get a clear understanding of the issues discussed in layman's terms. For more
detailed information, you can then explore the physician's track.
By going to NCI's CancerNet, you can research the PDQ informational summaries
for malignant mesothelioma; these summaries are written for both patient or
professional readers. You will also find a useful overview on researching,
treating, and coping with malignant mesothelioma.
You will find links to other treatment specific PDQ pages throughout this
website.
Mesothelioma -
Lung Cancer Link - Part 1
Yet the production process was
supposed to ensure that if any SV40 was present, it would be neutralized. When
Carbone tested the Soviet neutralization method, which relied on magnesium
chloride, he found it was only 95 per cent effective. Because of this, he
believes the Soviet vaccine could have remained contaminated until the early
1980s. In 1981, the Soviet Union switched to a polio vaccine seed provided by
the World Health Organization that was free from any SV40 contamination.
Carbone, the first to publish evidence of a link between SV40 and the deadly
lung cancer Mesothelioma (New Scientist print edition, 21 May 1994), will not
discuss his results further until they have been published. Officials from the
US Food and Drug Administration who attended the conference also declined to
comment, as the FDA is a defendant in lawsuits alleging that the
SV40-contaminated polio vaccine used in the US has caused cancer cases.
Asbestos
Exposure and Your Job:
At-Risk Occupations, Industries
and Locations Exposure to asbestos fibers can cause asbestos-related diseases
including mesothelioma cancer and others. A potentially dangerous exposure can
result from very small fibers at low exposure levels. Most such exposure would
likely have occurred prior to the 1980s, but the latency period can be up to 40
years for most asbestos-related cancers to develop. (See more information on
screening.)
Many people have come into contact with asbestos fibers via their jobs, or
occupational exposure. There is also a risk to the family members of those
working in at-risk occupations; this exposure is called paraoccupational
exposure. Likewise, people who live near sites likely to have asbestos around
the facility are also at risk: refineries, power plants, factories, shipyards,
steel mills and building demolition are types of work sites that can release
asbestos fibers into the environment and contaminate nearby residential
neighborhoods.
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Studies have shown that asbestos particles in the air can cause mesothelioma, ... Asbestos and Mesothelioma Lawsuit ... 07: An asbestos lawsuit was filed ... |
ASBESTOS LAWSUITS Asbestos Lawsuit & News Blog ... Do I have a Mesothelioma Lawsuit? Asbestos Lawsuits and Class Actions : Blog Home : ... |
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