subject: The Link Between Asbestos And Mesothelioma [print this page] Mesothelioma is primarily caused by long-term, regular exposure to asbestos. People who have been exposed to asbestos insulation in the workplace have a higher death rate than anyone else from this type of cancer. In fact, they are about three hundred times more likely to die from it than those who are not in regular, direct contact with it. In some cases, people who were exposed to asbestos in the workplace have family members who develop the disease. This is thought to be possible because the workers bring the asbestos home on their clothes and their family members are in direct contact with it.
Pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of the cancer, is thought be caused from the inhalation of asbestos dust. The fibers of asbestos are so small that the lungs are not able to filter them, allowing them to embed in the tissue of the lungs and form into cancer. Sometimes mesothelioma is located in the lining of the abdomen. This is called peritoneal mesothelioma, and is thought to be caused by ingesting asbestos. Asbestos can be ingested by eating food that has been contaminated with asbestos.
The symptoms of mesothelioma are not usually present until years after the exposure to asbestos, sometimes up to fifty years. It is recommended that people who have ever worked closely with asbestos keep an eye on any warning signs of the cancer. Early detection is very important in prolonging the life of the mesothelioma patient.
For many years, companies have known about the serious health risks of asbestos exposure to people, but it wasn't until 1989 that any new uses for asbestos were banned in the United States. However, any uses for the product before 1989 are still allowed in the United States. Some schools and many other buildings still have asbestos in the ceiling and floor tiles.
Another place asbestos can still be found is in roofing products, in Australia particularly, the use of asbestos for various roofing products was very widespread. This means that whenever a home owner with an asbestos roof or roofing products containing asbestos wants to make improvements or to remove the roof altogether, specialists with extra safety equipment must be called in to do the job.
This is also true for many fencing products, so many people do not realize that a simple job of repairing a broken fence that contains asbestos, may well come back to haunt them in years to come.
by: Johnathon F Black
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