What Is IT?

Mesothelioma is an unusual cancer of the mesothelium, a sort of tissue that covers the lungs and abdominal organs. Such tumors can spread rapidly and may not be responsive to current cancer treatments. patients unfortunately often die within two years of being diagnosed. Because of this prevention is the best way to fight this cancer. Mesothelioma was first observed in the eighteenth century and by the early part of the twentieth, it was believed to be caused by occupational exposure to asbestos.

In 1960, a physician in South Africa found that some 85% of his mesothelioma patients had worked in or lived near asbestos mines. Such a connection between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma has now been verified. Perhaps as much as 70% of people, if not more, with mesothelioma report being exposed to asbestos.

WHAT IS ASBESTOS? Asbestos is best described as a low density element made up of millions of tiny, heat-resistant fibrils. Fibers such as these make the material a good insulator. Asbestos was used almost exclusively in housing construction and ship insulation before 1999. Due to a light weight its, it found favor as a filler in concrete. Asbestos is associated with lung cancer and other lung conditions in addition to mesothelioma. As a result of extensive study, in 1989 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned an extensive number of asbestos applications in the United States. However, predictable corporate pressure ensued and tat ban was later revised and not implemented until 1999. Puzzingly, asbestos is still found in such materials such as flooring tiles, brake pads, cement products, and asbestos clothing. Asbestos products made before the ban also still remain.

END RESULT: As a result of the lung inhabitation by these fibrils, white blood cells are dispatched by the body to defend the lungs though create only a worsening situation because the fibrils are well protected and the cells themselves end up damaging the lung tissue, and end up creating mesothelioma. More to come...