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Mesothelioma - the Asbestos Cancer
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer
that starts in the tissue that surrounds and protects various organs in the
body, including the lungs, heart and stomach. This tissue known as
the mesothelium produces a protective fluid that allows the organs to move
around freely.
The tragedy of Mesothelioma is that it is a disease
that is almost 100% preventable. The only known cause is due
to exposure to the deadly mineral Asbestos. Those who come down with
Mesothelioma have inhaled particles of asbestos dust as the asbestos
degrades. The asbestos irriates and eats away at the lining of your lungs
and other organs. In response, the tissues develop a deadly
cancer.
What is asbestos? Asbestos is a mineral fiber that
has been used commonly in a variety of building construction materials for
insulation and as a fire-retardant.
Where did the asbestos exposure come
from?
First, the workplace. Workers were exposed in
factories, at shipyards, in mines, for the US military, as engineers, as
pipefitters, as steel workers, as auto mechanics, and in so many other
professions. Asbestos dust as clouds of white powder, were inhaled by
the workers.
Second, the home. This same dust was
also carried home on the clothes of the these many workers,
bringing the exposure to their spouses and children. Eventually the
dust becamse a part of the home environment recirculated
by heating systems in houses, not to mention in offices and
schools...
As the danger of Asbestos in relation to
Mesothelioma reached the public consciousness, the EPA and CPSC began
banning several asbestos products. Manufacturers also voluntarily limited
uses of asbestos. This has removed much of the danger of asbestos in
the workplace.
But asbestos is still commonly found in
older homes and schools, in pipe and furnace insulation materials, asbestos
shingles, millboard, textured paints and other coating materials, and floor
tiles. And as these material wear out, new asbestos particles are released,
creating new cases of Mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is relatively rare. About 2,000 to 3,000 people are diagnosed
in the U.S. And Mesothelioma is more common in males than in
females. It most commonly occurs in the fifth and seventh decade
of an individual's life.
Mesothelioma is 100 percent fatal. The life expectancy for someone who
has been diagnosed with mesothelioma is less than two years. Many people
think that Mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer. This is not true.
Mesothelioma starts as a cancer of the tissue or membranes
surrounding the lungs or heart or stomach. It is only when the
cancer has advanced beyond the original membrane surface to other parts of
the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs that
the cancer is usually detected. This is the cause of the confusion over the
description as a lung cancer. The fact that the tumors, while in the membranes,
remain flat and basically undetectable is also why Mesothelioma is so
deadly.
If you have developed mesothelioma or if someone you love has died of the
disease, you should know that you may be entitled to financial compensation from
those who were responsible for exposing you to this life-threatening
hazard.
Visit other pages on this site for more articles, news, links, videos and other Resources about Mesothelioma.
About the Author: Scott Harker is the publisher of several websites including:
Sherlock Holmes Pastiches,
Harvest The Sun | Renewable Energy,
Emeralds for Sale,
California Undergraduate Colleges, and
Gold Investments.
New NCCN Guidelines for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Presented at Annual Co... 13 Mar 2010 at 7:30am
HOLLYWOOD, Fla.----A new addition to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology , the NCCN Guidelines for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma , was presented at the NCCN 15th Annual Conference.
Doctor: Mesothelioma that killed Olsen tough to beat (ABC 4 Salt Lake City) 11 Mar 2010 at 9:36pm
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Merlin Olsen passed away Wednesday from mesothelioma, but a doctor has given tips on how to fight the lung disease that took the...
Doctor: Cancer that took Olsen's life called "Mesothelioma" (ABC 4 Salt Lake ... 11 Mar 2010 at 7:36pm
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Merlin Olsen passed away Thursday from mesothelioma, but a doctor has given tips on how to fight the lung disease that took the...
National Asbestos Lawyers of Cooney Conway Launches Mesothelioma Portal (PRWe... 11 Mar 2010 at 4:00am
Chicago based Asbestos Litigation, Personal Injury Law Firm of Cooney Conway Launches New Website Dedicated to Helping Mesothelioma Victims
Pre-existing Conditions (New York Times) 14 Mar 2010 at 11:25am
Health care and bank accounts loom large in Lionel Shriver?s multifaceted 10th novel, in which plans, relationships and families are changed by illness.
Merlin Olsen dies at 69 (Washington Post) 13 Mar 2010 at 3:37pm
Pro Football Hall of Famer moved on to acting with roles in "Little House on the Prairie."
Book review: "So Much for That" snags realistic characters in health care's t... 14 Mar 2010 at 12:18am
Debates on the future of U.S. health care are front- and-center news, and health-care issues are central to "So Much for That." But Lionel Shriver isn't interested in a policy debate so much as in using catastrophic illness as a catalyst for family dynamics.
Merlin Olsen dead at 69 (Sports Illustrated) 11 Mar 2010 at 9:34am
Merlin Olson, a fearsome Hall of Fame defensive end who later became famed for his gentle-giant roles on television, died Wednesday night from cancer. He was 69 years old. Olsen had been fighting mesothelioma since 2009 and had been undergoing chemotherapy.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen dies at 69 (Lahontan Valley News) 12 Mar 2010 at 12:30pm
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Pro Football Hall of Famer and former television actor Merlin Olsen has died. He was 69. Utah State, Olsen's alma mater, said he died outside of Los Angeles early Thursday after battling cancer. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining, last year. "This was the voice of a man who not only became one of our country's most decorated athletes, but also ...
New Research Could Help Provide Answers To Mesothelioma, England (Medical New... 9 Mar 2010 at 3:27am
The British Lung Foundation is working with the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund to support new research which could lead to better treatments for mesothelioma, an incurable asbestos-related cancer that affects the tissues lining the outside of the lung and the chest wall (pleura). Following a competitive grant application process, Dr Stefan Marciniak at the UniversityofCambridge was ...
Visit other pages on this site for more articles, news, links, videos and other Resources about Mesothelioma.
News About Mesothelioma
New NCCN Guidelines for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Presented at Annual Co... 13 Mar 2010 at 7:30am
HOLLYWOOD, Fla.----A new addition to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology , the NCCN Guidelines for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma , was presented at the NCCN 15th Annual Conference.
Doctor: Mesothelioma that killed Olsen tough to beat (ABC 4 Salt Lake City) 11 Mar 2010 at 9:36pm
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Merlin Olsen passed away Wednesday from mesothelioma, but a doctor has given tips on how to fight the lung disease that took the...
Doctor: Cancer that took Olsen's life called "Mesothelioma" (ABC 4 Salt Lake ... 11 Mar 2010 at 7:36pm
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Merlin Olsen passed away Thursday from mesothelioma, but a doctor has given tips on how to fight the lung disease that took the...
National Asbestos Lawyers of Cooney Conway Launches Mesothelioma Portal (PRWe... 11 Mar 2010 at 4:00am
Chicago based Asbestos Litigation, Personal Injury Law Firm of Cooney Conway Launches New Website Dedicated to Helping Mesothelioma Victims
Pre-existing Conditions (New York Times) 14 Mar 2010 at 11:25am
Health care and bank accounts loom large in Lionel Shriver?s multifaceted 10th novel, in which plans, relationships and families are changed by illness.
Merlin Olsen dies at 69 (Washington Post) 13 Mar 2010 at 3:37pm
Pro Football Hall of Famer moved on to acting with roles in "Little House on the Prairie."
Book review: "So Much for That" snags realistic characters in health care's t... 14 Mar 2010 at 12:18am
Debates on the future of U.S. health care are front- and-center news, and health-care issues are central to "So Much for That." But Lionel Shriver isn't interested in a policy debate so much as in using catastrophic illness as a catalyst for family dynamics.
Merlin Olsen dead at 69 (Sports Illustrated) 11 Mar 2010 at 9:34am
Merlin Olson, a fearsome Hall of Fame defensive end who later became famed for his gentle-giant roles on television, died Wednesday night from cancer. He was 69 years old. Olsen had been fighting mesothelioma since 2009 and had been undergoing chemotherapy.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen dies at 69 (Lahontan Valley News) 12 Mar 2010 at 12:30pm
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Pro Football Hall of Famer and former television actor Merlin Olsen has died. He was 69. Utah State, Olsen's alma mater, said he died outside of Los Angeles early Thursday after battling cancer. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining, last year. "This was the voice of a man who not only became one of our country's most decorated athletes, but also ...
New Research Could Help Provide Answers To Mesothelioma, England (Medical New... 9 Mar 2010 at 3:27am
The British Lung Foundation is working with the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund to support new research which could lead to better treatments for mesothelioma, an incurable asbestos-related cancer that affects the tissues lining the outside of the lung and the chest wall (pleura). Following a competitive grant application process, Dr Stefan Marciniak at the UniversityofCambridge was ...