Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Lung, Mesothelioma & Asbestos Information

Lung, Mesothelioma & Asbestos Information
All About what we got to say about Mesothelioma, Lung and Asbestos: "The Story"

When I was 17 old I started working at an asbestos mine in the Yukon. I had the excitement of youth and looked on the thing as a big adventure.

Does It Pay to Get a Mesothelioma Attorney?

Mesothelioma is a serious form of rare cancer. There is no known cure for mesothelioma cancer.

Asbestos Killed My Husband

He was only a child when it begun -and he played as children do- in his yardwith his toy cars and tip trucksBut his sand was asbestos blue?In December 1999, my husband and I were walking home from a game of lawn bowls when I became aware of his shortness of breath. I was surprised and concerned when he told me that he had experienced this on several occasions.

Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer involving mesothelial tissues of body organs usually lungs or abdominal. It is often caused by exposure to asbestos.

Who is at Increased Risk For Developing Mesothelioma?

Since the late 1800's Asbestos has been mined and used commercially. The use of Asbestos dramatically increased during World War II and since the early 1940's millions of Americans have been exposed to asbestos dust working within industries where initally the risks were not known.

How Is Mesothelioma Treated?

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles. However, they may have been been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways.

Mesothelioma - The Largest Man Made Epidemic

It is documented that Australia had the highest per capita use of asbestos in the world from the 1950's until the 1970's. As a tragic consequence, Australia now has the highest per capita incidence of mesothelioma in the world.

Mesothelioma Book - Review

"Lean on Me" Cancer through a carer's eyes Lorraine Kember (2003) 130pp.ISBN 0 646 49969 6As Janet Craven, palliative care nurse, and Andrew Dean, palliative care physician note in their respective forwards to this book, Lean on Me is a unique and intensely personal description of a writer's responses to her husband Brian's diagnosis, treatments and final death from mesothelioma.

What Is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma the medical name for cancer of the pleura (the lining of the lung and chest cavity) or cancer of the peritoneum (the lining of the abdomen). It is usually caused by prolonged or persistent exposure to asbestos.

Beryllium The New Asbestos?

It was American workers on the world's first atomic bomb who became the first industrial victims of beryllium, a rare but especially light, stable and strong metal whose toxic dust can kill those who breathe it.Now Seafarers doing ship maintenance and have used Jasons De-rusting and de-scaling guns (also known as J-gun or Jasons pistol) raise concerns about exposure to beryllium.

How to Sense Low Levels of Asbestos in Your Daily Environment

My discovery came to me by accidentally removing an asbestosmaterial in my home. The resulting condition of the whole houseafter this accident left me with a sore chest, dry and unbearably iching skin and eyes.

Protect Against Mesothelioma by Avoiding Asbestos

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that attacks the body's mesothelial cells around the organs. The mesothelium provides a protective membranous lining for the internal organs and allows moving organs (i.

Mesothelioma or Asbestos Cancer

Mesothelioma: What is it?Mesothelioma is a malignant cancerous disease of the cells lining the patient's body cavities such as chest, abdominal region or the area surrounding the heart. It is thought to be associated with exposure to asbestos, and this asbestos association has been documented in 70-80% of all mesothelioma cases.

L&S Announce Steps to Protect Against Asbestos & Mesothelioma

Lewis and Sholnick have announced the publication of some simple precautionary steps can be taken to avoid high risk situations in regards to asbestos and mesothelioma.Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

Wittenoom Graveyard

Despite the known fact that Wittenoom is responsible for many deaths, there are some who are reluctant to ban tourists from visiting the town. Undeniably,residents who still reside there are feeling financial and emotional strain due to the lack of tourist trade, however when I saw an article in the West Australian Newspaper Wednesday 19th May, titled "The Town that Won't Die", I was upset and angered by the comments made by a resident of the town, who stated that he had lived in Wittenoom since 1966 and that to his knowledge,no one had died of mesothelioma during that time.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Who is at Risk for Mesothelioma?

Who is at Risk for Mesothelioma?
by: Robert Linebaugh
Mesothelioma, the deadly disease which has topped news headlines for the last decade, is contracted through exposure to airborne fibers of asbestos. Sadly, the under-regulation of asbestos usage in years past, and arguably still today, exposed millions to airborne fibers and as a result thousands contracted the disease.
It can be safely said that almost everyone in the world has been exposed to asbestos in varying degrees. Because of the unique nature of the disease, even those who have suffered only minimal exposure are at risk of contracting the disease. In effect, virtually everyone has some risk of contracting Mesothelioma.
But this sort of statement perhaps oversteps the bounds of rationality. While it is certainly true that individuals who have been exposed to small amounts of asbestos for relatively short periods of time have contracted the disease, this is a rarity rather than a regularity. In fact, the vast majority of Mesothelioma cases involve individuals who were exposed to airborne asbestos fibers for intense and extended periods of time.

The industries most in danger of prolonged exposure and thus of contraction are shipbuilding trades, asbestos mining and milling, textile manufacturing, insulation work in construction, and brake repair personnel. There are, however, some other minor factors which can affect the likelihood of contracting the disease. Among these is radiation exposure. There have been causes in which individuals who were exposed to radiation have subsequently displayed signs of and ultimately contracted mesothelioma. However, empirical studies to attempt to verify this correlation have not proven out this claim very strongly.
Another more certain cause of the disease was the taking of the Polio vaccine between 1955 and 1963. Some batches of this vaccine were contaminated with Simian Virus 40 which has been detected in a host of rare cancers including Mesothelioma.

Those involved in construction or who lived in homes in the Cappadocian region of Turkey are also particularly at risk. In this region, homebuilders used Erionite, which is a type of zeolite silica stone. Exposure to the fibrous strands of this building material have led to an annual death rate of roughly 1% of the population which dies of mesothelioma each year in Turkey.
One of the most influential factors affecting Mesothelioma contraction is genetics. Some individuals who have been exposed to long periods and high quantities of asbestos have not contracted the disease. As a result, doctors have concluded that genetics play a major role in determining whether or not patients contract the disease. Unfortunately, the gene variability which offers some resistance to the disease also means that some are particularly vulnerable to asbestos exposure.