subject: Malignant Mesothelioma Research History [print this page] Malignant Mesothelioma Research History
Malignant Mesothelioma is cancer found in the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a sac that covers the body's internal organs. The most common kind of malignant mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which is cancer in the mesothelium that covers the lungs.
Research shows that mesothelioma is caused from the exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a chemical that was found in many different things. Most people have been exposed to asbestos from just breathing air and drinking water because of natural deposits of asbestos in the earth. But, these doses of asbestos were likely not enough to cause malignant mesothelioma.
More than likely, a person that is diagnosed with this disease was exposed to asbestos on a daily basis at one time. Although there have been cases of mesothelioma that have resulted from limited exposure. Some cases of mesothelioma have been documented of people who have the disease who had loved ones who worked around asbestos and brought it home.
Malignant mesothelioma usually does not show up for years after the exposure occurred. Research shows that the typical period of time for the malignant mesothelioma to show up would be 30 to 40 years after the asbestos exposure. When mesothelioma does arise, its symptoms are similar to the common cold and may be very hard to diagnose.
For many years asbestos use was unregulated even though lots of manufacturers knew the dangers caused by it. Finally in the late 1970's the Consumer Products Safety Commission banned the use of asbestos for a patching compound and also in fireplaces because of the ease of the fibers being released in the air. Finally in 1989 all new use of asbestos was banned although, any old use was still allowed.
The overall numbers of reported malignant mesothelioma cases have reduced in size over the years, and will hopefully continue to decrease in the future.
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