The John McNamara Foundation - Asbestos Information

Yes. Even the asbestos company defendants today largely agree with that simple, irrefutable truth. Their strategy, instead, has been to persuade the Judge to prevent the plaintiff from bringing to trial medical experts to testify about causation without first producing job-specific epidemiology studies that shows an elevated risk of disease among workers exposed to chrysotile fibers only. Neither medical science nor the law requires such a showing. Chrysotile is a mineral of the serpentine group that crystallizes in thin, flexible fibers. Chrysotile has been the most commonly used type of asbestos. Chrysotile is often present in a wide variety of materials.

Malignant Mesothelioma - Pleural Mesothelioma & Peritoneal Mesothelioma By Todd Going

Mesothelioma facts:

Malignant mesothelioma could become possibly the greatest health crisis ever faced by the American public. This disease does not discriminate in its victims; although the great deal of people that struggle with malignant mesothelioma now are into their 60s or 70s or 80s, some doctors and other healthcare professionals believe there could possibly be a mesothelioma epidemic in the decades to come due to the fact that virtually everyone in the United States has been asbestos at some point in their lives. The latency period between exposure and malignancy is quite long, making this disease extremely difficult to detect, and in some cases it only takes an single contact with asbestos to begin the domino effect that will eventually result in malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the mesothelium, the lining that surrounds many important organs. The mesothelium is a mucous membrane that secretes lubrication so that the organs can move and function properly. Correspondingly, there are three main types of mesothelia:

When asbestos enters the body through inhalation or ingestion, its jagged, microscopic shards pierce the organs it settles in and tear through them into the mesothelium. Once the shards pierce the mesothelium, the tissue can develop malignant mesothelioma plaques and cancerous tumors. Although pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of malignant mesothelioma because asbestos fibers are easily carried through the air, due to the location in the chest and natural function of the lungs this deadly cancer can spread easily from them through the circulatory system.

Once malignant mesothelioma is entrenched in the mesothelium the organ in question will begin to malfunction. The organs can no longer move easily; this means the lungs cannot inhale or exhale, the heart cannot pump, and the gastrointestinal tract cannot process food properly. Treating mesothelioma is often difficult because the initial stages are often confused with less dangerous conditions, and by the time symptoms appear they are often too advanced to treat. This is a quite painful and unpleasant experience, and most victims of malignant mesothelioma rarely live longer than a year after diagnosis.

Asbestos was used throughout the United States because it is sturdy, pliable, and an extremely effective insulator. Schools, churches, office buildings, private homes, virtually every structure had asbestos in the walls, ceilings, or floors. Unfortunately, as the material breaks down it can release its deadly fibers into the air where they can be inhaled or ingested by anyone in the area. Another deadly aspect of this material derives from the fact that it is extraordinarily small and extraordinarily light. Asbestos fibers can settle on the hair and clothes of those that have initial contact with it, and they can carry it with them and potentially expose others to malignant mesothelioma.

It will take decades to determine what effect asbestos has had on the population of the United States. Time will tell if the worst fears of malignant mesothelioma held by some doctors and scientists come true.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer in which malignant or cancerous cells form in the thin layers of tissue lining the human chest, heart or abdomen. When the cancer is in the chest, it affects the pleura or tissue lining the lungs and is called malignant pleural mesothelioma. This is the most common type of mesothelioma. In the abdomen, a cancer of the peritoneum or tissue lining the abdominal cavity and covering various organs is called malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. The least common form of mesothelioma affects the pericardium, or outer lining of the heart. The term mesothelioma literally means a growth of the mesothelium, a layer of tissue from which the pleura, peritoneum and pericardium all develop.

The majority of malignant mesotheliomas occur in people who have been exposed to asbestos, either directly or via people they live with. Avoiding exposure to asbestos can largely prevent malignant mesotheliomas. Depending on the location of the cancer, someone with malignant mesothelioma may have one or more of the following symptoms: breathlessness, pain under the rib cage or in the abdomen, an abdominal lump or swelling, and unexplained weight loss.

If a detailed medical history and physical exam suggests malignant mesothelioma as a possible diagnosis, a variety of diagnostic tests may be performed, including blood tests, x-rays, MRIs, CT scans and biopsies. Malignant mesotheliomas are graded upon the extent they have spread. A stage I, or localized, malignant mesothelioma is one that has not spread beyond the area it originated in. Stage II, III and IV malignant mesotheliomas are advanced, and may have spread to lymph nodes or to surrounding or distant organs and tissues. Depending on the stage, a treatment plan may include surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Some cancer treatment centers are involved in clinical trials using biotherapy and immunotherapy.

Mesothelioma is an extremely nasty and permanent cancer that infects the membrane surrounding most internal organs. It is also a very subtle form of cancer providing only a few noticeable symptoms until it becomes extremely advanced. The most common type of mesothelioma is called pleural mesothelioma. It causes shortness of breath and/or chronic coughing that can easily be mixed up with allergies or a common cold. In many cases mesothelioma is discovered by accident when patients are looking into these symptoms. Other symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include:

75% of all mesothelioma cases are Pleural mesothelioma. Another type is called Peritoneal mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining around the stomach and intestines and can be just as dangerous and deadly. Symptoms of Peritoneal mesothelioma include:

High risk groups such as asbestos and construction workers must undergo frequent check-ups to monitor any conditions leading to mesothelioma. Because this cancer is so deadly, early diagnosis and treatment can help prolong life, but the mortality rate is usually 100% within five years.

To learn more about mesothelioma and asbestos cancer, please visit our website at http://www.resource4mesothelioma.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Going

Approximately 10-20 percent of the cases of mesothelioma begin in the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneal mesotheliomas). This type of mesothelioma does not respond well to treatment, but is less common than pleural mesothelioma, which affects the membrane covering the lungs.
Since it is difficult to treat, peritoneal mesothelioma often results in an early death. The disease attacks and destroys soft tissue and nearby nerves, causing intense pain to the patient.

The first symptom is abdominal pain. At the initial stage, pain can be eased with analgesics, such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin). Treatment can include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, which are aimed at stopping the spread of the disease and at alleviating the pain.

Another reason why this form of mesothelioma is so hard to treat is that the symptoms are often dormant and surface only after 35-40 years of exposure to asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma, like all forms of mesothelioma, is mainly caused by exposure to asbestos over a period of time. Construction workers, their families, and people who live in asbestos-insulated buildings where the asbestos fibers are exposed, are most at risk of contacting mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal pain and swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the abdomen. Other symptoms may include bowel obstruction; blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

Mesothelioma provides detailed information about malignant mesothelioma, asbestos and mesothelioma, mesothelioma, mesothelioma research and more. Mesothelioma is the sister site of Asbestos Exposure.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Romando

Unfortunately, individuals suffering from mesothelioma (a form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure) have a rather poor prognosis. There is currently no cure for mesothelioma, and once the disease is discovered, patients usually only have a short time to live. Without treatment, mesothelioma is fatal within four to eight months. New forms of treatment are always being developed and tested, however, and there is evidence that the healthier a patient is at the time of diagnosis, the longer the life expectancy of the patient.

There are cases where patients receiving treatment have lived for as long as five or even ten years, but this is very rare. Even under treatment, most people survive less than one year, and often only a few months after receiving their mesothelioma diagnosis. According to recent studies, around 10% of victims live at least three years after their diagnosis, and 5% reach five years.

One of the reasons that the prognosis is so bad is that there is such a long period of time between a person's exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma symptoms. It can take several decades before signs of mesothelioma begin to show up in a person. One study showed that when mesothelioma is caught and treated in its early stages, 50% of patients survived two years, and 20% reached five years, but unfortunately it is very difficult to discover the disease early on. The fact that the symptoms of mesothelioma are so easily confused with other illnesses further delays a correct mesothelioma diagnosis in many cases.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Howell

San Pedro, CA - Aug. 30, 2007 - It's time for California to drop its state rock permanently. The state rock of California, serpentine, is a form of asbestos ore. Asbestos is notorious for indiscriminately killing tens of thousands of people every year without regard to the color of their skin, their social or economic standing, sex, age, occupation, or health.

The Pacific Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, working with our firm, has taken the lead on contacting legislators and setting up meetings in order to change the law that makes asbestos ore the state rock. You can get involved or voice your support by contacting PHLBI at www.phlbi.org.

Asbestos has been called the worst public health crisis in the history of this country. California leads the nation in asbestosis and mesothelioma deaths. Beginning in 1979, when asbestos-related deaths were first tracked, until the end of 2007, the total number of mesothelioma and asbestosis deaths in California will exceed 7,600. Staggeringly, Los Angeles County leads all American counties in deaths from asbestosis and mesothelioma by a wide margin.

The state rock symbolizes a public health catastrophe, particularly since the companies that made and sold asbestos-containing products knew of its deadly consequences, and since the state rock was adopted at the behest of the asbestos mining industry. We refuse to accept this mockery of Californian men, women, and children dying from asbestos poisoning. We ask you to support legislation to get rid of this pernicious state symbol.