Showing posts with label asbestos particles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asbestos particles. Show all posts

Saturday, August 22, 2009

The Myths and Facts of Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a severe disease that is thinning out its roots everywhere in the world especially in United States of America. It is a lethal form of cancer that is dreaded across the globe. For though there is medication to handle the disease's symptoms, a cure to mesothelioma is still missing.

Excess confrontation of asbestos is posited as the primary cause of mesothelioma.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is used in insulation, clothing and fire-resistant materials. But its usage is often less significant than the disasters caused by it. For those who work with asbestos, breathe or inhale the infesting tiny asbestos particles that result in development of mesothelioma and other Asbestos Related Diseases (ARDs). Initially people were unaware of the damaging nature of these particles. It was discovered only lately through various tests such as X-Rays, MRI tests i.e. Magnetic Resonance Imagery and CAT scans or Computed Axial Tomography scans.

Mesothelioma's very cause has become its bone of contention. This is because numerous asbestos workers and consumers who have been inflicted by this deadly disease claim that they were not intentionally forewarned of the perils of this material. Consequently lawsuits were and are till date filed on these companies. However, it is a myth to think that these court cases have driven many asbestos-manufacturing companies to bankruptcy. The facts reveal that many such companies have survived under the protection of Chapter 11 and that they have in turn used their insolvency to pay off their former debts and have reorganized themselves by it. But this is not the only myth associated with mesothelioma, there are countless others.

1. One universally known myth is that nothing can be done after a person is in the grip of mesothelioma. Though there is no cure for this unsympathetic form of cancer, some medicines can help with lifestyle quality and symptoms.

2. People commonly believe that working in mines and playing in piles where you are surrounded by asbestos and staying close to a person suffering from mesothelioma are the only factors responsible for its outbreak. But in reality, mesothelioma and any other ARD is not a communicable one and individuals who have never taken up any such tasks are even inflicted with it.

3. The next important thing hovering on people's mind related to mesothelioma is smoking. Some believe that smoking invokes this disease. But the truth is that those who smoke and are exposed to asbestos perhaps involve the highest risk of being infected by mesothelioma. But there are innumerable patients of this ARD who have never smoked even a single cigarette throughout their lives.

4. Those who think that an exposure to asbestos will result in an instant exhibition of its symptoms are even wrong. According to medical science, the effects remain latent and unknown for 10-40 years.

5. Generally it is deemed that even a slight exposure to asbestos particles leads to mesothelioma. So if these fibres are detected in your house or office, they should be removed as soon as possible and all the materials that came in contact with it should be thoroughly cleansed. But this is not what is actually required. An improper hurried removal can be extremely hazardous since these particles easily get mixed in the surrounding air and cause damage. The best technique to ward off the threat of asbestos particles is to properly cover the affected area. Moreover, this task should not be taken up by any naļ¶„ individual. Only the skilled certified asbestos abatement professionals should be called to do this job.

6. A number of people are of the opinion that Chrysotile is a safe form of asbestos. But researches have shown that all forms of asbestos including the largely used Chrysotile are effective in causing Mesothelioma and other ARDs like lung cancer, asbestosis etc

Author: Robert Linebaugh

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Common Factor Between Mesothelioma And Money

Apart from the common “m”, is there anything else in common between Mesothelioma and money? This is no kidding. Mesothelioma is as valid as a legal issue as it is one of the biggest medical concerns since the last century.

The first so called diagnosed case of Mesothelioma came forward in from of this whole world in the 1890s. And the first ever legal step against step to compensate for the cause of Mesothelioma was taken in 1929. Within a gap of around forty years the medical case took a new dimension to form a legal case as well.

Mesothelioma as a disease
You must have a comprehensive idea about Mesothelioma. A severe disorder in the human body that affects the body’s most protective outline covering the crucial internal organs like the abdomen, heart and lungs. The disease is called Mesothelioma that is caused mainly due to inhalation of asbestos dust in the form of airborne particles mostly when your body remains continuously in an environment full of asbestos particles and fibers.

You are right. The next thing you would like to know is how a person will come in contact with such huge amount of asbestos. It is only possible if the person works in an asbestos firm or stays in a place where an asbestos milling company is in close proximity. The first one is a direct threat though the second one can be to some extent considered passive.

What is legal in Mesothelioma?
Till this point it is okay that Mesothelioma is a lethal disorder in the human body and the patient can at the most live for three years from the period of diagnosis of this disease. Till date the Medical reports have given this record yet several researches are taking place across the globe to combat Mesothelioma from its roots. But does it allow you smell something legal in it? Not yet!

Mesothelioma becomes legal because Mesothelioma can be checked completely through some preventive measures. The industries don’t maintain the pollution control measures and compel their workers to suffer from the asbestos dust. Most of the consequences result out of negligence from the authority’s side and ignorance from the patient’s part. Thus a legal case can always be filed and fought. If you as a patient can prove that you are a victim of such a situation that was forcefully imposed on you and you were unaware of the ill consequences, you can earn even millions of dollars as compensation. So did you get the justified way to find the connection between the “m” factor between money and Mesothelioma?

Saturday, August 8, 2009

:: Causes Of Mesothelioma ::

Mesothelioma is the growth of malignant cells in mesothelium, the thin membrane covering the body’s internal organs. This mesothelium lining covers the pleural, peritoneal and pericardial cavities. Pleura is a membrane covering the lungs and it is the most common location where mesothelioma cancer occurs also known as pleural mesothelioma. Peritoneum, the protective covering that lines the abdominal cavity may also develop malignant tumors and cause peritoneal mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is one of the rarest cancers in the world that is caused only by exposure to asbestos. Its exposure can be direct, by inhalation of asbestos or indirect exposure in which the asbestos particles are inhaled from the clothing, hair, equipment or other articles that were previously exposed to asbestos

Causes of Mesothelioma
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that is mined in different parts of the world due to its wide utility in various industries. However, it is a deadly carcinogen too and a mojor cause of mesothelioma and asbestosis.

Asbestos fibers are known to cause cancer of the mesothelium. Asbestos is the fibrous form of several minerals and hydrous silicates of magnesium found under ground. There are 3 types of asbestos, the blue one, the while one and the brown one. Of all these 3 types, the blue one also called amphibole, long and thin in structure is more carcinogenic than white or chrysolite asbestos or the brown one known as amosite.

However, in some cases the brown asbestos has also been found to cause mesothelioma. And it is for this reason that people exposed to asbestos even for a short period are vulnerable to the disease.

Pleural Mesothelioma
Asbestos fibers are very fine and easily make their way to the lungs where they settle down in the parenchyma of the lung and penetrate the pleura that later develops malignant mesothelial plaques.

Pleura, which anchors lungs to the chest cavity, is itself a double-layered membrane. The inner layer called visceral pleura surrounds the lungs, while the outer one, known as parietal pleura, forms the lining of the pleural or chest cavity. The two pleural layers are filled with a fluid that helps them to slide over each other as we breathe. As the disease progresses, the delicate pleural membranes thicken and press the lungs. A fluid secreted by the malignant cells, pleural effusion, may also collect between visceral and parietal pleurae that causes problem in breathing and other complications.

Peritoneum Mesothelioma
The asbestos fibers may also cause cancer in the peritoneum, known as peritoneal mesothelioma. This leads to thickening of the membranes surrounding abdominal organs and collection of a fluid, ascites in the abdominal cavity making it swell.

Though it is yet not clear how peritoneal mesothelioma develops, it is believed that from lungs, the asbestos fibers are transported to abdomen and its organs by the lymphatic system or they may be deposited in the gut through saliva contaminated by the asbestos fibers.

Pericardial Mesothelioma
This is the rarest type of mesothelioma cancer that comprises of only 5% of all the mesothelioma cases. Like other types of mesothelioma cancer, pericardial mesothelioma is also caused by the inhalation of asbestos dust and fibers. The lining of the chest cavity which protects the heart is known as pericardium. It is provided with a natural fluid or mucous that provide continuous lubrication to the heart so that it can work properly and perform its functions.

It is a very deadly disease that destroys the tissues around the heart and diminishes the survival chances of the patient. As the asbestos particles settle further into the lining of the chest or pericardial, the cancer spreads in the body. It destroys the heart tissues and muscles that is very hazardous to life and proves fatal for the patient.

Author: Jennifer White
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