The ingestion and inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers are the main causes of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare, but deadly, cancer that attacks the pleural lining of the chest cavity and the lungs or the peritoneal lining of the organs of the stomach. In more rare cases, the causes of mesothelioma can attack the pericardium of the heart or the lining of the reproductive organs.

The causes of mesothelioma are more likely to effect males than females, because males are more likely to be exposed to asbestos. Asbestos has been used commercially since the 1800s and has been known to cause mesothelioma and other types of serious health problems. Asbestos exposure can be the causes of mesothelioma for workers in the following industries: mining, maritime, automotive, railroad, factory, and construction industries. Secondary exposure can contribute to the causes of mesothelioma when workers inadvertently carry asbestos fibers home on their person and family members are exposed.

Because inhalation and ingestion of asbestos are the primary causes of mesothelioma, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set permissible exposure limits on the amount of asbestos that an employee can be exposed to in the workplace. Employee exposure to asbestos cannot exceed 0.1 fiber per cubic meter of space averaged over an eight hour work day or 1 fiber per cubic meter in any thirty minute period. Some work environments are required to conduct daily monitoring of asbestos levels to prevent the causes of mesothelioma. Protective gear, adequate ventilation, and respiratory equipment must also be supplied by employers to prevent the causes of mesothelioma from harming workers. Even with these precautions, as many as 1.3 million construction workers alone are exposed to the causes of mesothelioma every year.

Mesothelioma kills ten thousand people every year. At least two to three thousand people are diagnosed with mesothelioma annually. Mesothelioma can remain dormant in the body for up to forty years. Once diagnosed, the prognosis for mesothelioma victims is bleak. The average survival time following diagnosis is ten months to a little over a year.

When a victim does exhibit the symptoms of mesothelioma, these symtoms can develop rapidly. The symptoms of asbestos inhalation causes of mesothelioma attack the plural lining in the chest cavity and can include: chest pain, chronic cough, difficulty breathing because of fluid accumulation, fever, and weight loss. The symptoms of asbestos ingestion causes of mesothelioma bombard the organs of the stomach and can include: stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and bowel problems, weight loss, swelling of the feet, anemia, fever, and fluid build up in the abdominal region.

If the causes of mesothelioma are the result of another party's negligence, a victim has the legal right to seek compensation for their injuries through a lawsuit.

For more information about the causes of mesothelioma, please Contact a Mesothelioma Attorney to learn your legal rights!