Causes Of Mesothelioma

Causes Of Mesothelioma

Causes Of Mesothelioma - The inhalation of asbestos fibers is the most common of causes of mesothelioma. The discovery of the link between the two was made in the 1960s during the time of asbestos importation from other countries. This material is a natural mineral that is mined from rock which is found in many countries around the world.

Asbestos was used in shipbuilding, household appliances, and construction but was very widely used to produce insulation materials. Studies have shown that when asbestos is disturbed or damaged it releases tiny fibers that can be breathed into the lungs. These fibers are so small that an individual may not realize that they are breathing them in or even swallowing them.

The small fibers can rest in either the lungs or the abdomen for a very long period of time while the body wreaks havoc with itself trying to remove the foreign object. This inflammation can go undetected by physicians and unnoticed by patients for so long that the inflammation may eventually turn to cancer.

Mesothelioma will not rear its ugly head immediately. It normally takes on average 30 to 40 years for a person to realize that they have been exposed to the causes of mesothelioma. There have been rare cases where radiation exposure has been linked to the disease as well.

Although smoking cigarettes or any other tobacco products does cause cancer, there is no evidence to indicate that this practice will increase a person's risk of mesothelioma. Therefore; the people who are at risk the most are people who have worked with asbestos on some level, including but not limited to:

• Plumbers
• Boilermakers
• Shipbuilders
• Construction workers
• Electricians
• Demolition workers
• Oil refinery workers
• People who live near asbestos factories

It is important to remember that family members have contracted the disease via clothing of their loved ones who were working in these areas. Many of these people are finding that the causes of mesothelioma were unbeknownst to them during exposure. Now that the word is out and the research has proven the links importation of asbestos in and out of any country is mostly prohibited.

Even though this cancer is very rare it has been growing in number over the last 10 to 20 years but is expected to decline as less and less asbestos is used in factories, homes, and other areas. Even still, asbestos is considered to be one of the causes of mesothelioma in 9/10 patients. In today's world there is no real screening for mesothelioma but the medical field is hopeful that one day all who have been exposed to asbestos will be able to have a screening procedure completed to see if any of these microfibers exist in their bodies. Because of the lack of a prescreening procedure, many patients do not live more than 1 to 2 years after diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma. This is due to the fact that by the time the malignancy is found it is normally too late for a favorable diagnosis.

Tweet