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Meso Cancer

North Ireland Deaths From Mesothelioma and Asbestosis in 2012

Asbestosis Big Problem in Northern Ireland

Asbestosis Lung

 

The Northern Ireland General Register Office, the province’s record keeper, said that mesothelioma and asbestosis were the primary or secondary causes of some 75 deaths annually.

In little more than five years, there have been more than 300 estimated deaths in Northern Ireland from asbestos exposure, according to a U.TV article, citing a recent government report.

This government report also suggests  there were possibly another 40 lung cancer deaths each year where asbestosis or mesothelioma were contributing factors.  Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly disease that destroys the linings of the heart, lungs or abdomen.  Exposure to asbestos is nearly always the cause of mesothelioma.  And asbestosis is specifically a lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos.

The situation is serious were unlike the United States which phased out asbestos in building materials in the 1980s, asbestos continued to be used in Northern Ireland until about 2000. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) organization predicts the current number of deaths to rise.  It has organized free training called “Asbestos Training Pledge NI” as a response to help local construction workers protect themselves from asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral once used extensively in building materials because of its high tensile strength, durability, high availability, and low cost.   Given its’ early widespread adoption in the United States, asbestos continues to be a problem there as well.  Since the 1970s,  research has linked asbestos exposure definitively to multiple painful and deadly diseases, such as mesothelioma.

Many manufacturers knew their asbestos products posed serious health risks, but some hid this information from both their workers and the public. Have you or a loved one developed mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos while at a workplace?  If so, then call a Lawyer who is an expert in Mesothelioma and Asbestosis, and ask them for a free legal consultation about a potential mesothelioma lawsuit.

More Mesothelioma and Asbestosis Information

 

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Meso Cancer

Mesothelioma – A Quick Short Introduction

What Is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that occurs in the tissue covering the stomach and bowels (peritoneal tissue) or in the tissue covering the outside surface of the lung (pleural tissue). 90% of the cases of Malignant Mesothelioma are caused by exposure to Asbestos.

What Is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a silicate mineral made up of masses of tiny fibers that are as strong as steel and are highly resistant to heat and chemicals. Fibers of Asbestos are inhaled or swallowed and are able to penetrate to the outside surface of the bowel or to the outside surface of the lung where they become trapped. These trapped fibers can cause a reaction that leads to Mesothelioma Cancer. Mesothelioma symptoms may not appear until about 20 or 40 years from first exposure to airborne Asbestos fibers.

Mesothelioma Treatments

Mesothelioma treatments include radiation to shrink cancer tissue or cells, chemotherapy to stop the reproduction of cancer cells, photodynamic therapy and some times, surgery to remove cancerous tissue.  There also some progressive Clinical Trials offering  the hope of a cure found in their research for new solutions.  Clinical trials are available to qualified volunteers.

You Are Entitled To Compensation!

People,  who are faced with Mesothelioma Diagnosis, are entitled to compensation from the manufacturers of any asbestos-containing product to which they were exposed in sufficient quantities to cause disease.  You can discover a qualified Mesothelioma lawyer on the Internet.   Be sure to evaluate and consider the success case references when looking for counsel and representation.

Meso Cancer

What is Mesothelioma and Who is Responsible?

 

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is usually caused from exposure to harmful and inextinguishable asbestos fibers. It severely affects the protective lining of the internal organs (mesothelium). Weakness, anemia, abdominal pain, chest pain and weight loss are some of the symptoms of this cancer.

While modern day medical science has achieved significant advancement in curing certain types of cancer; despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Since it is usually diagnosed only in its final stages, by the time a person has been confirmed to suffer from this form of malignant cancer, considerable damage has already occurred to their internal organs.

Who is affected?

Most people who develop mesothelioma may have worked in factories or manufacturing facilities, where they were exposed to asbestos used for product manufacturing purposes. Commonly such industries include cement, fire insulators, pipe insulators, fireproof dry wall manufacturers and others. Workers in these industries who have not been properly instructed and equipped with safety gear by the manufacturers may run the risk of contracting mesothelioma as long as 50 years after their exposure. Such a person might not immediately notice the symptoms even though they may have contracted this cancer from being exposed to asbestos fibers occupationally. The symptoms surface with time. Workers who are not aware of the deadly effects of the exposure are usually unaware as well of the severe dangers awaiting them. However, they are not to be blamed.

Who is responsible?

It is the responsibility of the asbestos companies to provide appropriate information and adequate warnings about the potential health hazardous of their products.  There are many cases that reflect the suffering of workers who are not warned of the occupational hazards of exposure to asbestos.  Frequently symptoms have worsened to the extent of causing the death of the patient. While families suffer, the manufacturers responsible for such an unfortunate event have known little of the pain and grief caused by the malady. Numerous groups have endeavored to expose the perfidy of those who knowingly have pushed many innocent people towards such a fatalistic disease. Mesothelioma cases have become much more common, and many more people are filing claims for compensation.

Meso Cancer, Meso Causes

Genetic Predisposition and Susceptibility: How to Get Mesothelioma Cancer?

 

Recent researchers studying mesothelioma cancer are proposing a genetic component to this aggressive cancer long associated with asbestos.  Dr. Jill Ohar MD at Wake Forest School of Medicine reported in 2010 at an International Symposium about her research that supported the possibility that people who develop mesothelioma may have a genetic predisposition and susceptibility.

Between 1940 and 1980, asbestos was commonly used as a material in the construction, particularly in shipbuilding, aircraft fabrication, plumbing, insulation, railroad and automotive brakes and clutches, ceiling tile, floor tile, drywall, fireproofing materials, cement, and many, many other uses.  It is estimated that 40% of U.S. employees or nearly 27 million Americans , have been unknowingly exposed to asbestos in their place of work; even when employers and manufacturers of asbestos products knew the danger.  Fortunately, many of the persons exposed to asbestos have not developed mesothelioma cancer.  So, the frequency of new mesothelioma cases identified in recent years has stabilized at a constant of approximately 3,000 per year.

Because so few persons who have been exposed to asbestos develop mesothelioma cancer leads researchers to wonder why and ask what could differ among workers who have experienced equal exposure to asbestos?  Why does a majority of asbestos exposed workers not develop mesothelioma cancer, and the remainder do?

Dr. Ohar and fellow researchers studied a database of 5,000 people who have been exposed to asbestos in which only 6.5% or 327 incurred the mesothelioma cancer.  The researchers questioned all 5,000 individuals regarding their exposure to asbestos at work and at home, and about the status of their health.  The answers reveal some interesting patterns:

  • Age of first exposure: those workers who developed mesothelioma tended to be younger at their first exposure to asbestos. In the 1940’s, they were the young men and women who volunteered out of high school, at age 17 or 18 to join the military, or work in defense industries. Cells in younger people tend to be more vulnerable to carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents.  Even a few years’ delay, time spent in college or in work that did not involve exposure to asbestos, seems to have had a protective effect.
  • Military service: Mesothelioma patients were more likely to have served in the military.  Service in the military increased the odds of exposure to asbestos.
  • Other cancer diagnoses: Mesothelioma patients were three times more likely than other workers exposed to asbestos to have had another cancer diagnosis at the time of diagnosis of their mesothelioma.  This suggests a greater vulnerability, probably genetically mediated, to carcinogenic agents.
  • Cancer in first-order relatives: People diagnosed with mesothelioma were also three times more likely than other workers exposed to asbestos to have a first-order relative (a parent, a brother or a sister, or a child) who had a cancer diagnosis.  Children of people with a mesothelioma diagnosis were seven times more likely to have a cancer diagnosis.

The conclusion, based on Dr. Ohar’s study, is that getting mesothelioma cancer caused by exposure to asbestos could possibly be attributed to a genetic predisposition and susceptibility to cancer-causing agents.  Genetic susceptibility alone does not determine a diagnosis of mesothelioma cancer; and exposure to asbestos does not always assure that a person will get mesothelioma cancer.  However, the combination of asbestos exposure, especially at a young age, with genetic predisposition and susceptibility increases the likelihood of a person developing mesothelioma cancer.

If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos fibers, especially in the workplace, and has received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, you need to consult with an experienced asbestos mesothelioma lawyer to determine whether you may have an actionable case against the employer.

Related Mesothelioma Articles

Press Releases

Cancer Monthly Journal and Database for Mesothelioma Research

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) March 08, 2012

Cancer Monthly is proud to announce that it now provides treatment results for Non Hodgkins Lymphoma and Bladder Cancer. Cancer Monthly is the only centralized source of cancer treatment results. Founded more than seven years ago, Cancer Monthly now provides information on the actual performance for nearly 1,000 different treatments for Bladder, Brain (anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma), Breast, Colon, Kidney, Liver, Lung (non small cell), Melanoma, Mesothelioma, Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, Ovarian, Prostate, and Rectal Cancer.

For each individual treatment the data includes: actual survival rates, quality of life indicators, drug information, and more. The purpose of the Cancer Monthly is to provide patients with better tools to have more effective discussions with their doctors, explains Michael Horwin the President of Cancer Monthly. Most of the data focuses on cancers in the more advanced stages because in those situations time is at a premium and Cancer Monthly can help patients save research time.

Cancer Monthly has been used by several million patients and doctors over the last seven years. This internet database is free and easy to use. Visitors simply select the kind of cancer they are researching, the types of treatments they are interested in, and where they are located. Treatment types include: Alternative, Biologic therapy, Chemotherapy, Gene Therapy, Hormone, Immunotherapy, Radiation, and Surgery. The database then provides the various treatments that meet these requirements. The data is sorted by the highest survival rate but the user can also sort by hospital, country, date, and toxicity of the treatment. Once a treatment of interest is identified the user can print out an abstract describing the therapy and share it with their doctor. Users can also email the doctor responsible for the therapy if they would like to obtain further details. All of the data comes from the peer reviewed oncology literature medical articles written by physicians and researchers.

Cancer Monthly is just one time-saving tool to help patients perform research on cancer treatments, says Horwin. Because the data comes from the medical journals it can help patients make more informed treatment decisions with their doctors.

To visit Cancer Monthly go to http://www.cancermonthly.com

More Mesothelioma Press Releases

Meso Cancer, Meso Causes

Mesothelioma: Causes and Treatments in Simple Terms

Mesothelioma is an uncommon form of cancer that affects the body of many retired factory, military, shipyard and construction workers. While there are many aggravating factors that can worsen the severity of a mesothelioma case, it has been demonstrated with strong evidence to be primarily caused by exposure to asbestos.

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma tumors affect the protective lining surrounding a great deal of the body’s internal organs. These tumors can lead to the development of severe chest pain, low blood sugar levels, fatigue, anemia, shortness of breath and even lung collapse. Mesothelioma tumors can spread all over the body, with the exception of the brain, skeletal system and adrenal glands. Mesothelioma symptoms can take a very long time to manifest, in some cases at least 15 years. The fact that some cases are not diagnosed until decades after the initial asbestos exposure that caused them makes the cancer very hard to treat or prevent.

How Does Asbestos Exposure Occur?

Asbestos is a general term for a wide range of minerals used throughout human history, and more recently in a variety of industrial settings. Its efficiency as a cheap insulator led to it becoming very popular in homes built before the 1970s, as well as military ships during World War II. In their raw mineral form, small asbestos particles can easily become airborne, where they pose a huge risk of being inhaled. Inside the body, these abrasive dust fragments lead to the development of cancers. Many shipyard workers and factory personnel were exposed to asbestos long before the correlation between asbestos and mesothelioma was commonly noted. Modern workers who renovate older buildings are also at risk for mesothelioma inducing asbestos exposure.

How to detect Mesothelioma and What to do About it?

Diagnosis of this desease is complicated by the similarity of mesothelioma symptoms to a many other common diseases. Generaly, a complete detailed review of a patient’s medical history as well as their occupational history and experience is necessary in obtaining an accurate diagnosis. The historic study is usually followed by thorough physical examinations including chest X-rays, lung function tests and CT scans or MRIs.

There are few treatments  for mesothelioma that can provide some sort of cure by themselves, and surgery has proven frequently ineffective on mesothelioma.   Chemotherapy is the most commonly administered effective therapy, and immunotherapy treatments have provided various results, some of which were in fact successful.  There are clinical trials of new treatments that are in Phase II and Phase III study that are proving to be very hopeful of a cure to mesothelioma cancer.

Get more information about Asbestos Exposure, here!

Get more information about Mesothelioma Causes and Treatments, here!

 

 

 

Meso Facts

What is the meaning of the word “Pleura”?

Pleura is the general name given to the mesothelium that lines the chest cavity.  Mesothelium surrounds the lungs and other organs.  The mesothelium layer that surrounds the lungs is called the visceral pleura.  The mesothelium layer inside the chest wall is called the parietal pleura.  And the space found between these layers is called the pleural space.

visceral pleura parietal pleura

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