The Dangers of Mesothelioma Are Great, Know No Time Restrictions

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December 21, 2007

Mesothelioma has become a serious concern for those men and women who used to work in the construction and heavy industrial manufacturing industries. For year, asbestos, the material that has been directly linked as a cause of mesothelioma, was thought to be a building wonder. The fiber, which is a natural substance mined for its fire-retardant properties, was used in the construction of homes, hospitals and prisons, as well as in the paper goods, lumber, shipping and milling industries. Until the early 1970s, asbestos was handled in a nature that helped to lead the exposure of thousands of people to the cancer-causing material. In many cases, protective equipment, such as respirators and specialty uniforms, were not worn, nor were they enforced by the employers of workers as a necessity on the jobsite. As an outcome, people who were not diligent in personal safety have now found themselves sick with mesothelioma from prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers.

Asbestos fibers, when examined under a microscope, have what resembles to be a “hook or a “barb” at the end. It is this detail that allows the particles to become lodged in the pleural (lung) tissues. Once the particles are embedded in the lungs, they cannot be expelled through respiration. Over time, the asbestos particles begin to cause scarring. This scarring of the lung tissue can lead to the formation of mesothelioma tumors. Unlike many other types of cancerous tumors, mesothelioma tumors do not respond readily to traditional forms of cancer treatment. Although new drugs are being created and explored in the field of mesothelioma treatment, chemotherapy and radiation have been found to do very little in thwarting the disease. The average life expectance of someone who has been diagnosed with mesothelima is between six months to one year.

In what is an even scarier statistic, direct exposure to mesothelioma isn’t necessary to contract the disease. Because asbestos particles can be transported on skin and clothing, a new population of sufferers have developed in the form of spouses of men and women who worked in industries where asbestos was used. Improper handling of clothes at the time of laundering has been cited in cases of mesothelioma where the spouse had no direct contact with asbestos. For many families, this development has offered nothing less than a double insult where the lives of both parents, or other loved ones, has been jeopardized.

If you or someone you know has worked in a manufacturing industry where asbestos was used as a primary constitute of production, they should seek medical examination for the possibility of mesothelioma. Symptoms of mesothelima have been known to manifest upwards of twenty years after the last exposure to asbestos has been made. Even if the person who worked around asbestos doesn’t seem to be ill, it is no guarantee that their health is not in jeopardy. A simple lung x-ray can be made by a healthcare practitioner to see if any lung scarring has manifested. As always, early detection is important for survivability.

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