Damage Caused to Lungs from Asbestos
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer which is primarily caused by exposure to Asbestos. Asbestos particles are inhaled and cause the pleural cavity or outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall to develop cancer. Mesothelioma has also been found in the peritoneum which is the outer lining of the abdominal cavity and the heart.
Mesothelioma Development found in the Peritoneum
Asbestos is a silicate mineral with long, thin fibrous crystals. The word asbestos means inextinguishable in Greek because of its soft properties and its ability to withstand heat. Asbestos is known to have toxicity. The inhalation of toxic asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses, including malignant mesothelioma which is why many uses of asbestos have been banned in several countries including the United States.
Asbestos Affecting Lungs & Surrounding Tissues
There have been thousands of deaths related to mesothelioma, but the first documented death was in 1906. From then, researchers began noticing a number of deaths and lung problems in towns dealing with asbestos. By the 1930s asbestosis was considered a work related disease. Mesothelioma was not associated with asbestos until the early 1940s. In the 1970s the courts proved that the asbestos industries officials knew about the dangers of asbestos and tried to conceal them. By doing this they have opened the door to litigation and have been sued many times.
Because mesothelioma takes years to develop any sort of symptoms, in the past 20 years the incidence rate has increased to approximately 1 per 1,000,000. Mesothelioma is considered a rare form of cancer. Though mesothelioma can develop on its own, it is still considered to be directly correlated with the exposure to asbestos. In the early 1900s asbestos was used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. During the manufacturing of these products asbestos particles can be inhaled, which is why the cancer is usually found in the pleura.
Asbestos may be found in many older homes. Between the 1930s and 1950s asbestos insulation was commonly used to insulate new homes across the United States. Products known to have been manufactured with asbestos that may have been used in your home’s construction include roofing and siding shingles made with asbestos cement, textured paints & wall patching compounds, artificial ashes & embers used in gas-fired fireplaces, and in the walls and flooring surrounding wood-burning stoves may have been lined with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets. Other building materials containing asbestos that may be found in older houses are vinyl floor tiles, vinyl sheet flooring, & vinyl flooring adhesive, hot water & steam pipes may be coated with an asbestos tape or blanketing, and oil & coal furnaces may also be lined with asbestos insulation.
The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath, fatigue, coughing and chest pains due to the buildup of fluid in the chest cavity. As you can tell from the symptoms, diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult because these are very common symptoms that may arise with several other illnesses. If there is a suspected exposure to asbestos the doctor will first perform an X-ray to see if the pleural is thickening which is commonly seen after asbestos exposure. An MRI is also performed to see whether or not there is an increased amount of fluid in the patient’s chest cavity. If fluid is found then it would need to be drained to do a biopsy to test the cells in the fluid which confirms whether or not a patient has mesothelioma.
Once a patient has been diagnosed with having mesothelioma there are several ways to treat the cancer. The treatment of mesothelioma has proven to have about a 75% success rate in extending a patient’s life span by five years. Radiation is one of the few ways to treat mesothelioma. If a patient has a localized case of the cancer, radiation can be the most effective. Chemotherapy is another effective treatment for mesothelioma. Some of the side effects of chemotherapy include nausea, stomatitis, vomiting and diarrhea. Statistics show that chemotherapy by itself significantly improves survival from 10 months to 13 months. Surgery is a more dramatic treatment for mesothelioma. Because of how hard surgery is on a patient’s body, it is usually the last resort and the use of surgery by itself has proven to be quite ineffective. Surgery consists of doctors removing the outer lining of the lungs and stomach. Chemotherapy has been proven to be the most effective out of the three treatments; however studies prove that a combination of all three, depending on the diagnosis, is the most effective treatment for mesothelioma.
In 1970 the first asbestos lawsuit was filed and since then there have been over a half million suits filed. In the 18 years, 1982 between 2000, almost 80 companies have had to file for bankruptcies due to asbestos lawsuits. Because of so many lawsuits being filed, Congress approved special provisions to keep businesses running and some of these businesses even went as far as creating trust funds to deal with all of the claims. Claims are still being filed years after asbestos has been banned from being used. The most recent claim settlement was in 2009 for a total amount of $2.6 million to the family of a woman who passed away from mesothelioma. Lawyers have even gone as far as taking people suspected with having health problems and bundling them with a person who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma due to asbestos for a bigger lawsuit. Several states have passed laws prohibiting these bundling suits from entering the courts.
See more:
Consumer Products & Safety Commission – Asbestos in the Home
Environmental Protection Agency – Asbestos
Asbestos.com – Asbestos Overview
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Asbestos can be a bad thing. It’s important that buyers check it out as part of their due diligence before they buy.
Praiseworthy work. Awareness saves lives.
As we approach Memorial Day weekend – it’s important to note the toll Mesothelioma has taken on our nation’s veterans. Ships, buildings, tanks, personnel carriers, aircraft, all had asbestos everywhere.
Pick up any publication remotely connected to the military or veterans, and you’ll see several ads throughout for attorneys, clinics, diagnosis centers, you name it – all touting this horrible disease and outlining how they will get you compensation.
Most important – if you suspect the presence of asbestos – do not let a contractor work on the home ! Get it inspected and verified to ensure the proper removal requirements are met!
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
Joes last blog post..Can the $8,000 Tax Credit save VA Buyers ?
A friend of mine lost his dad due to cancer from asbestos. He worked in construction around the stuff for years, back when it wasn’t linked to cancer. Sadly, the stuff is still everywhere.
Crap…. I am checking my bathroom already. I don’t want to find this staff near the toilet!!!
Great reminder about the harmful effects and prevalence of asbestos. I also like Joe’s reminder about taking precautions when hiring a contractor.
sean ryans last blog post..Man in Tennessee is Seeking Asbestos Compensation
I’ve heard about the bad effects of asbestos for our health, your post surely inform me a lot about another its bad effects. I think this is serious problem for us, I should be careful in choosing material for my house in the future. Thanks………
Swass last blog post..Breast Milk For Premature Baby
To say asbestos can be a bad thing is an understatement. It’s caused a lot of problems for a lot of people, not just Mesothelioma but other health issues as well. It such a shame they didn’t know this back when they were using it.
.-= Divorce Solicitors London´s last blog ..Free Advice Surgery =-.
It is pathetic that Mesothelioma is no more a rare form of cancer. Very frequently I stumble upon cases of it either in the internet or through the local journals. Its also a good sign that concerned officials are considering removal of those sickening asbestos sheets from all those public places. Recently I read an article about discarding the asbestos sheet from a possible site for museum to the deceased pop legend MJ. Its shocking to know that it required a loan to the tune of 700,000 to remove them.
.-= Mack@Las Vegas Homes´s last blog ..Commercial Real Estate Bubble =-.
there is so much info on this now but this is a good summary
Never knew that asbestos can cause lung cancer now I know what to do and able give advice and even share this link to those who don’t know much about having a lung cancer cause by asbestos.
That’s the significance of reading. Sites with informative contents are beneficial to the reader. Life expectancy with this disease is less than a year after being diagnosed. Meaning short time to prepare one’s self. Hence, being cautious about health is one essential factor. Still, prevention is better than cure.
Thank you for the informative blog post about a very important issue. The illustrations help make it easy to understand.
I recently designed a Google Sites site to address this exact same issue. Working in the mining industry with a silica rich carbon deposit much the same consistency of coal it scares me a little. We are always concerned about health problems like Mesothelioma and “Black Lung”.
.-= Richard´s last blog ..Principles of Viral Marketing =-.
The majority of people who develop mesothelioma contract this cancer through breathing in asbestos fibers or being exposed to asbestos dust while on the job. However, we should all be aware of other ways of contracting this cancer. For example, if your ceiling is covered with a “popcorn” coating, chances are it was blown on in the 70′s and contains asbestos. You can gather a small sample in a plastic bag and have it tested for about $35. Do not scrape the popcorn off your ceiling until you have it tested.
The causes of mesothelioma have been under study for several decades. It is estimated that nine out of ten cases of mesothelioma are caused by exposure to asbestos, the mineral which was once widely used in construction materials, brake pad linings, and hundreds of other products found in everyday life.
.-= eve@Mesothelioma Definition´s last blog ..The Relationship Between Mesothelioma, Asbestos and Lung Cancer =-.