Mesothelioma Treatment - Asbestos Products
Mesothelioma Help Center
Our feature article "Mesothelioma" by Creighton University School of Medicine will give you a better understanding of the treatments available for anyone suffering from Mesothelioma.
Historical background of asbestos
To date, more than 3000 products contain asbestos leading to exposure in a wide variety of settings. Besides mining, milling, and manufacturing of asbestos products, the exceptional thermal and electric insulation properties of asbestos led to its widespread use in construction, leading to exposure of pipe fitters, boiler makers, and other workers in the building trades. In addition, asbestos was used in the manufacture of fire-smothering blankets and safety garments, as filler for plastic materials, in cement and floor tiles, in hair dryers, and in friction materials, such as brake and clutch linings.
Exposure to asbestos is not limited to persons who directly handle the material. Cases of asbestos-related diseases have been encountered in individuals with only moderate exposure, such as the painter or electrician who works alongside the insulation worker in a shipyard or the housewife who does no more than shake out and wash her husband's work clothes. Community exposure has probably resulted from the use of asbestos-containing material sprayed on steel girders in many large buildings as a safety feature to prevent buckling in case of fire.
Asbestos was first used extensively in the 1940s. Starting in 1975 it has been mostly replaced with man-made mineral fibers, such as fiberglass or slag wool. However, asbestos is still used in the manufacture of brake linings and remains as pipe and boiler insulation in hundreds of thousands of workplaces and homes. Despite current regulations mandating adequate training for any worker potentially exposed to asbestos, exposure probably continues among inexperienced demolition workers and people repairing brakes and clutches.
In the US, it became clear by the mid-1960s that cancer rates among asbestos workers were extremely high. In 1976, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reduced the allowed asbestos concentration in the workplace from 5 to 2 fibers per cubic centimeter of air. In 1986, OSHA dropped the standard to 0.2 fibers per cm3. This standard was reduced to 0.1 fibers per cm3 in 1994.
Incidence and cause; populations affected; indications for treatment
A mesothelioma is a tumor of the pleura. The pleura are the membranes which cover the lungs. 75 -80% of mesotheliomas are associated with asbestos exposure. Mesotheliomas have also been shown to occur in lab animals exposed to ionizing radiation and natural and artificial fibrous material.
The asbestos fiber is a very long, thin fiber that can get deep into the lungs and penetrate the lung’s walls, avoiding the lung’s defenses against foreign particles.
Mesothelioma Information
Malignant mesothelioma litigation is seen as peaking with 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of malignant mesothelioma cancer being diagnosed each year in the United States alone. An asbestos lawyer or mesothelioma attorney is able to track a case of malignant mesothelioma back to a source in order to help designate all liable parties.
Malignant Mesothelioma cancer is a latent disease that can take anywhere from 30 to 40 years to become fully developed. Once diagnosed, the average survival time is between one and two years. Mesothelioma treatment options have seen limited success in extending average survival rates, let alone containing the disease. Once mesothelioma symptoms begin to develop, it is typically too late for treatment to offer little more than palliative care.