Tag Archives: Asbestos

Meso Facts

How to prevent getting Mesothelioma.

One gets mesothelioma from being exposed to asbestos.  So prevention for getting the disease is choosing to avoid exposure to asbestos and eliminating sources of asbestos to be exposed to.  Asbestos is not gone from the environment or workplace even after the many limitations that have been placed on its use.  Asbestos has not been banned in the United States even though there has been a growing body of medical research, cancer cases, and well documented dangers at it.

The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) issued a ruling on July 12, 1989 to ban nearly all products containing asbestos.

The fourth circuit of the US Court of Appeals overturned an EPA ban on asbestos.
US Court of Appeals says the EPA can not ban all asbestos products

But in 1991 this rule was overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans and consequently only the following six specific asbestos-containing product categories remain banned; many other products containing asbestos continue to be sold and manufactured today in the U.S.:

  1. Commercial paper
  2. Specialty paper
  3. Rollboard
  4. Flooring felt
  5. Corrugated paper
  6. New uses of asbestos

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Meso Facts

What causes Mesothelioma? (part 1 of 2)

Exposure to asbestos fibers can cause malignant Mesothelioma
A single fiber of asbestos can cause malignant Mesothelioma 15 – 50 years after exposure

Asbestos exposure is almost always the primary cause of mesothelioma cancer.  Mesothelioma might also be caused by a few other factors, but this opinion is a continuing area of research.

While today, the average asbestos levels in buildings seem to be very low, an estimated three (3) million employees in construction and general manufacturing industries still face significant asbestos exposure on the job.  These people will become victims of asbestos exposure. The greatest exposures to asbestos are still in the construction trades.  The primary exposure to the dangers of asbestos are during the removal of products made with asbestos during renovation or demolition of buildings.  And of course, everyone exposed to breathing the dust particles created by the terrorist attack on the Twin Tower Trade buildings on September 11, 2001 are at high risk of developing Mesothelioma.  The risk of developing Mesothelioma increases over time, from 15 to 30 years, after the exposure to asbestos has stopped.

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Meso Facts

Who can get Mesothelioma Cancer?

Everybody who has been exposed to asbestos may develop mesothelioma.  An estimated 3 million employees in construction and general industry face significant asbestos exposure on the job, even though the average asbestos levels in buildings today seem to be very low.

Asbestos causes mesothelioma lung cancer
Asbestos was used as a fire retardant

The more exposure one has one has to asbestos, the greater the risk of having mesothelioma cancer.  Work environments are the primary source where people get exposed to asbestos and later in life develop the disease.

The greatest exposures to workers are in construction trades.   Asbestos was used in building insulation, cement, automobile brakes, roofing shingles, flooring, piping and this is a small sample.  So many workers were exposed during the manufacturing of asbestos products.  Asbestos-related illness is also occurring in shipyard workers, school custodians, miners, railroad workers and even movie set workers.

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Meso Facts

What is Mesothelioma?

diagnosis of mesothelioma lung cancer
Mesothelioma cancerous tumor types

Mesothelioma is a cancerous tumor that comes from the cells of the mesothelium.  The mesothelium is a thin protective lining that covers many of the body’s internal organs, including the lungs.  The mesothelium has two layers with fluid producing mesothelial cells between these layers.  The fluid has a lubricating effect that allows moving organs like the heart and lungs to slide and move easily among other internal body parts with little friction.

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