Your resource for important information about asbestos exposure and its risks — learn more about treatment options and compensation for affected patients and families.
In the twentieth century, asbestos was one of the most common industrial materials. It has also proved to be one of the most lethal industrial materials, as inhaling the fibers can lead to a wide range of health problems such as asthma and asbestosis - and it can also be the direct source of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive and lethal cancer that attacks the membranes around the lungs, the heart and the abdominal cavity. Mesothelioma cancer of the lungs is by far the most common form, but tissue surrounding the heart or the abdomen can also be affected. Perhaps its most unusual characteristic is that mesothelioma diagnosis usually occurs decades after the initial exposure to asbestos, owing to the cancer’s extraordinarily long latency period.
It takes years for asbestos fibers to work their way into those membranes: and after an extended presence there, the fibers will begin to cause fluid accumulation and tumor development. However the first mesothelioma symptoms are common complaints such as a persistent cough or shortness of breath - symptoms that are easily mistaken for evidence of more common lung problems. Those common symptoms can delay a proper diagnosis even further.
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Peritoneal mesothelioma starts in the abdomen
Asbestos fibers can contribute to an assortment of illnesses that while not malignant, can have significant impact on your health. Some of them can be harbingers for serious problems yet to develop. Asbestos fibers usually enter the body through the lungs, inhaled unknowingly when they have been released by a deteriorating or torn asbestos product. They don't dissolve and the body cannot shed them naturally. They're tough, resilient and they stay in the tissues where they lodge forever. Learn More
The veterans of the United States military branches, including the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and others have served their country in times of war and peace, giving their time, effort, and sometimes their lives as part of their service. They have the same right to the best in medical care that is afforded to all in our country. Mesothelioma, a disease with no known cure, has felled many U.S. veterans, and the rights of these veterans to receive compensation for this work-related disease should be upheld. Learn More
The Centers for Disease Control issued a report in 1999 that provides employment categories for the roughly 2,500 American citizens that died of mesothelioma that year. The data shows some patterns that are to be expected, and one anomaly that may be related to the relatively small size of the data sample and may have something to do with occupations later in life. The listing of high-risk jobs for mesothelioma victims below includes public school workers, where hazardous asbestos exposure would be expected for maintenance staff but not for teachers.
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Asbestos is a silent killer that has destroyed thousands of lives. For decades, millions of unsuspecting Americans were exposed to toxic levels of asbestos on their jobs, in their homes, at school, and numerous other places. The following video details the dangers of asbestos and the options available to victims of asbestos poisoning.
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It's impossible to know how many people have succumbed to asbestos-related diseases in the U.S. for a number of reasons. The most lethal asbestos related disease, malignant mesothelioma, is sufficiently rare that it was undoubtedly misdiagnosed as lung cancer or some other fatal disease for many decades during the 20th century. Asbestosis and asbestos lung cancer are also fatal, but were not always diagnosed as asbestos related diseases. According to the American Thoracic Society "asbestos has been the largest cause of occupational cancer in the United States and a significant cause of disease and disability from nonmalignant disease."Full Story
Mesothelioma is a complicated disease, an aggressive and lethal form of cancer caused by human exposure to asbestos. Specifically, mesothelioma is caused by tiny asbestos fibers that can be inadvertently inhaled or ingested. These tough fibers lodge in the mesothelium, a membrane of thin tissue that protects various organs and surfaces within the body. Eventually they will cause the generation of malignant cells which reproduce quickly and uncontrollably, launching the development of malignant mesothelioma. Because seventy percent of all mesothelioma cases are pleural mesothelioma, most of the efforts at improving treatment are focused on the chest cavity. However there have been some impressive treatments developed for peritoneal mesothelioma in recent years that are worth noting as well. More Information
One of the frustrating facts about malignant mesothelioma is the resistance of the cancer cells generated by the disease to chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. Physicians are constantly testing new medications as well as entirely new concepts for slowing or halting the reproduction of malignant cells, as well as methods of destroying them. New uses of established technology come into play, such as the development of the intensity modulated radiation technique for radiotherapy. Gene therapy and immunotherapy both attempt to utilize the body's natural methods of fighting invasive disease for the purpose of targeting cancer cells. More Information
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