Mesothelioma Risk Continues in the U.S. as Asbestos Exposure Persists in Certain Industries

Friday, August 6th, 2010

According to recent investigative research conducted by the BBC’s International News Service and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ), the detrimental effects of America’s asbestos age linger in growing mesothelioma fatalities, in addition to other asbestos-related disease.

Asbestos exposure is the principal cause of mesothelioma cancer. Following repeated exposure to the naturally occurring mineral, symptoms can take as long as 20 to 50 years to arise. A patient’s life span is often poor since there is no cure for this cancer. Combining aggressive therapies has the potential to improve mesothelioma life expectancy by several months or more, but not all patients qualify for this treatment approach.

According to the BBC and ICIJ article,

Mesothelioma Risk Concerning for Veterans Exposed to Asbestos During Service

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

According to data released by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, thousands of military veterans are now suffering from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma. This illness is a result of veterans being exposed to asbestos while working on naval vessels where it was used in a number of materials, especially as the primary source of insulation.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 new mesothelioma cases are reported every year in the United States. The cancer has earned a reputation as being particularly difficult to diagnose and treat, and to date no cure has been found. Some patients who are diagnosed in an early stage of development may qualify for a combination of treatments (known as multimodality therapy) with hopes of improving their mesothelioma life expectancy.

Although asbestos materials were used in every division of the Armed Forces, the Navy alone used more than 300 asbestos-containing products from the 1930s through the 1970s. The toxic mineral appeared on most ships used by the Navy and in shipyards where vessels were built. Because mesothelioma can take 20 to 50 years to develop, those who served decades ago are now demonstrating symptoms of asbestos-related illnesses.

Asbestos was commonly used as insulation around piping, boilers, sleeping quarters and navigation halls aboard vessels. The mineral’s natural resistance to fire and highly durable characteristics made it ideal for use in all sectors of the military, where it was also used in aircraft, vehicles and buildings.

Mesothelioma cancer typically develops decades after moderate to heavy exposure to asbestos. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can become lodged in tissue, causing inflammation or infection over time.

The threat of asbestos exposure remains a risk for military men and women who are deployed and stationed in countries around the world or those who repair and demolish contaminated ships. Veterans who suffer from mesothelioma as a result of service-related exposure may apply for Veteran Affairs benefits. Those who suspect they may have been exposed to asbestos should seek annual checkups for signs of asbestos disease.

For more information on asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, please visit the Mesothelioma Center.

Mesothelioma Risk at Rhode Island Beach Pavilion Being Addressed by Asbestos Abatement

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

In an effort to reduce risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, asbestos abatement is set to begin August 23 on the Town Beach North Pavilion in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

The Town Beach North Pavilion structure dates back to the 1950s, when asbestos was commonly used in many construction materials. The pavilion presently contains asbestos in the wall paneling and roofing. Plans to replace the pavilion were dropped by the Town Council in June over conflicts regarding the $9.5 million proposal. It was at that time that the Town Council agreed to repair the degrading structure.

Asbestos is a toxic and naturally occurring mineral known to cause terminal health conditions such as malignant mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with mesothelioma annually. Prognosis is generally poor since the disease is usually undetected until it has progressed to later stages of development.

The local company Vortex will be performing the asbestos mitigation. Vortex is known for their asbestos removal in Narragansett’s contaminated schools. The company verified the presence of friable asbestos (which can release toxic fibers) in the roofing of the changing rooms and confirmed the asbestos in the wall paneling was encapsulated and safe. The company plans to pressure wash and paint the roofing of the changing rooms, a means of encapsulating and sealing off the asbestos fibers. Thus, the asbestos material itself will not be removed, but covered up to prevent the release of toxic fibers.

Town Manager Grady Miller explains,

Asbestosis Cancer and Mesothelioma Treatment

Asbestosis is a lung disease caused by exposure to the mineral asbestos cancer. Chronic inflammation of lung tissue is the hallmark of asbestosis, which is significantly more common among people who have worked with asbestos in years past when there were few or no safety precautions to limit workers' exposure to this toxic mineral.
Signs and Symptoms of Asbestosis

People who have worked with asbestos, those who have been exposed to asbestos in a non-work setting, and the family members of such individuals should be aware of the signs and symptoms of asbestosis. These include:

* the slow onset of shortness of breath
* dry-sounding crackles when breathing in
* clubbing of the fingers
* respiratory failure (in advanced cases)

Asbestos is the cause of several other serious diseases in addition to asbestosis, such as lung cancer, cancer in other organs, and mesothelioma cancer, a cancer of chest-cavity tissue. The signs and symptoms of these diseases are different from those of asbestosis.
What Exactly Is Asbestosis?

When a person inhales asbestos fibers, those fibers may become lodged in the lungs, in the lungs' air sacs (the alveoli). Because the asbestos fibers are recognized by the body as a foreign substance, the body has an immune reaction to them, producing inflammation. The inflammation signals the body's attempt to destroy the invaders, but in the process, fibrous (scar) tissue is laid down in the lungs (this is known as interstitial fibrosis).

The fibrosis makes the walls of the air sacs thicker, which reduces their functioning. Shortness of breath is the final result. In advanced cases of asbestosis, the reduced lung function can induce “cor pulmonale,” or right-side heart failure.
How Might I Have Gotten Asbestosis?

People who worked in asbestos mines, or in the processing of asbestos, or with products that contain asbestos (and there are thousands of asbestos products) are at risk of developing asbestosis. The risk was greatest in the period from the 1930s to the 1980s, but even today, as older homes are renovated, asbestos-containing building materials may provide the toxic exposure that causes asbestosis.

Even people who never worked with asbestos have developed asbestosis — sometimes from asbestos ceiling or floor tiles in their place of employment, or when their spouses came home from an asbestos-related job with asbestos fibers clinging to his clothing and shoes. In most cases, the asbestosis makes itself known about five to ten years after the asbestos exposure.
What Can I Do about My Asbestosis?

There is no cure for asbestosis, only treatment such as:

* Oxygen therapy
* Respiratory physiotherapy
* Medication to thin out secretions from the lungs

If you or your family member has been diagnosed with asbestosis, it's good to learn all that you can about both your medical condition and your rights and options.
Contact Us for More Information about Asbestosis

Asbestos Information

Asbestos is a mineral. It is present in the environment naturally, at a very low and safe level. It has heat-retardant and friction-resistant properties, and beginning in the 1930s asbestos began being used in thousands of products and applications across the United States and around the world. The asbestos in these products is at a concentration that is many times higher than the natural environmental level of asbestos.
The Asbestos Epidemic

Such high levels of asbestos can give humans cancer and other serious diseases. It was a widespread, terrible mistake of great duration to use so much asbestos in so many places, in so many ways that adversely affected so many people.

An “asbestos cancer epidemic” has occurred in America, with an estimated 1.3 million workers directly affected by extreme asbestos exposure on their jobs, and millions more people subjected to toxic levels of asbestos in their homes, workplaces, schools, and other buildings. Each year, roughly 10,000 individuals die from asbestos cancer diseases in the U.S.
Restrictions on Asbestos: Not Until the 1970s

The Clean Air Act of 1970 finally put some brakes on the uses of asbestos. Nowadays, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) regulate asbestos, but these restrictions come too late for the people who contracted an asbestos cancer disease years (or decades) ago.

There is a long latency period for asbestos cancer diseases, and the epidemic of asbestos cancer diagnoses in recent years is based in large part on asbestos exposure that took place in the 1940s through 1960s. Today, many innocent victims of asbestos cancer are being diagnosed with:

* Lung cancer (usually small-cell or non-small-cell)
* Cancer of other organs
* Mesothelioma cancer (a rare cancer that attacks the tissue lining of the chest/abdomen)
* Asbestosis
* Other respiratory diseases

Asbestos Lawsuits

Thousands of victims of asbestos cancer have initiated asbestos lawsuits in an effort to hold the makers and distributors of asbestos products responsible for the damages they have wreaked. It has been proven that several large asbestos corporations knew of the dangers of their products but chose to put their profits before the safety of human beings — workers and others who were poisoned by asbestos.
Asbestos Cancer Assistance

If you or your family member has been diagnosed with an asbestos cancer disease, it's in your best interest to learn all that you can about your options and rights. Please feel free to contact mesothelioma treatment centers for more information or to find out about the resources available to you.