Mesothelioma and Asbestos

Mesothelioma is a particularly deadly form of which has only one known cause, exposure to asbestos

As the link between and has become well known, the use of sharply declined. Most use stopped after 1989, but it is still used in some products. Experts have linked this drop in use to the fact that the rate of development of is no longer increasing [in the U.S.]. Still, up to 8 million Americans may already have already been exposed to .

There is no safe level of and until there is a complete and total ban on asbestos our children will continue to face the dangers associated with asbestos exposure.

According to the U.S. , as many as 733,000 schools and public buildings in the country today contain insulation. As many as 10 to 15 percent of schools in the United States may contain insulation.

People who may be at risk for occupational asbestos exposure include some miners, factory workers, insulation manufacturers, railroad workers, ship builders, gas mask manufacturers, and construction workers, particularly those involved with installing insulation. Several studies have shown that family members of people exposed to at work have an increased risk of developing , because fibers are carried home on the clothes of the workers.

Another important point about and is that the risk of does not drop with time after exposure to . The risk appears to be lifelong and undiminished.

When fibers are inhaled, most are cleared in the nose, throat, trachea (windpipe), or bronchi (large breathing tubes of the lungs). Fibers are cleared by sticking to mucus inside the air passages and being coughed up or swallowed.

The long, thin, fibers are less readily cleared, and they may reach the ends of the small airways and penetrate into the pleural lining of the lung and chest wall. These fibers may then directly injure mesothelial cells of the pleura, and eventually cause .

fibers can also damage cells of the lung and result in asbestosis (formation of scar tissue in the lung), and/or lung . The risk of lung among people exposed to is increased by 7 times, compared with the general population. Indeed, asbestosis, , and lung are the 3 most frequent causes of death and disease among people with heavy exposure.

Peritoneal , which forms in the abdomen, may result from coughing up and swallowing inhaled fibers. Cancers of the larynx, pancreas, esophagus, colon, and kidney may also come from exposure, but the increased risk is small.

The risk of developing a is related to how much a person was exposed to and how long this exposure lasted. People exposed at an early age, for a long period of time, and at higher levels are most likely to develop this . Mesotheliomas take a long time to develop. The time between first exposure to and diagnosis of is usually between 20 and 50 years.