The Facts About Mesothelioma
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Mesothelioma is one of the deadliest diseases known to man. The average life span of an inflicted person
from the time of diagnosis until death is less than 24 months. It’s a disease that strikes approximately 3,000
United States citizens each and every year; hard working people who have labored for a lifetime to provide for
their families, doing the work that keeps this country running and a great place to live. They worked in
factories, at shipyards, in mines, for the US military, as engineers, as pipefitters, as steel workers, as auto
mechanics, and in so many other professions. They came home to their loved ones exhausted and covered
in dirt and dust; tired, but content that they had a job and were providing for their family. Content that they were
putting food on the table and a house over their loved one’s heads. Content that they were working to make a
better life for their families in this generation and the next...
But what they didn’t know was that while they were working so hard, they were not only slowly killing
themselves, but those that they were working so hard to help; their family, their loved ones.
Mesothelioma is a disease that is almost 100% preventable; the only known cause is via exposure to the
deadly mineral Asbestos. It comes from inhaling the particles of dust as the asbestos degrades; eating away
at the lining of your lungs and developing into a deadly cancer. Dust that was inhaled in clouds of white
powder, dust that was carried home on the clothes of the men who built this country, dust that was cleaned
from the clothes by the wives and children who supported their sole provider at home, dust that was packed
around the heating systems in houses and offices and schools, dust that carried a deadly price; and dust
made a fortune in blood money for the companies that produced it.
Unfortunately, the effects of asbestos on the human body were known to be deadly for years by the
companies who employed the ‘greatest generation’ and made hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars
off of their backs. But instead of taking simple steps to alleviate the problem and save the lives of thousands
of their workers, they choose to do nothing and continue to make a “healthy” profit with a “deadly” product.
Many even went so far as to hide the truth from their workers and their families. And because the normal
latency period for Mesothelioma (The time from exposure until the patient falls ill) is 20 to 30 years, many got
away with this for years. We are only now beginning to see the full effects of the disease, and feel the terrible
outcry of the people against those who put profits before human lives to a degree that is simply unfathomable.
The people most at risk from being carriers of this cancer are those have worked with asbestos over the
past thirty to fifty years. Because of this, the disease is most common in men between the ages of sixty and
seventy as this is the group that commonly worked with asbestos during those years. Because of the lack of
protection and regulations in those days, these workers were constantly exposed to the dust and fibres from
the asbestos, which caused the cells of the mesothelium to become abnormal. However, because the
disease takes decades to develop fully and manifest, many of them were oblivious to this until thirty to fifty
years later. It is these men who are now lodging multi-million dollar lawsuits against the unscrupulous
companies that exposed them to the dangers of asbestos, even though they were aware that it could cause
harm to the employees.
There are also other people at risk from the disease; namely those who have had regular contact with a
person who has worked with asbestos. Because these workers regularly carried dust and fibres on their
clothes, skin and in their hair, they fibres and dust could be ingested by family members, who were then at
risk of developing mesothelioma, respiratory problems or another asbestos related disease.
The organs most affected by mesothelioma are the lungs and the surrounding tissue. Pleural
mesothelioma, which is the type affecting the lining of the lungs, is the most common variation of this cancer
with symptoms which include breathing and swallowing difficulties, coughing, shortness of breath, fever and
weight loss. The abdomen is another area affected by this cancer, and this variation is known as peritoneal
mesothelioma. This type of mesothelioma is not as common as pleural mesothelioma. Symptoms of
peritoneal mesothelioma can include nausea and vomiting, weight loss and loss of appetite, fever, bowel
obstruction and pain or swelling of the stomach area. The last variation of the cancer is pericardial
mesothelioma, which is where the cancer affects the heart and the tissue surrounding it. This variation is a
rare one, and symptoms can include palpitations, breathing difficulties, and persistent coughing.
The symptoms of mesothelioma are very common to a number of other diseases which are more well-
known in society. Therefore, it is not unusual for the patient to be misdiagnosed when he or she goes in
displaying any or all of these symptoms. People who have worked with asbestos should always let their
doctor know this so that the doctor is more aware and more conscious of the possibilities in the event that
the symptoms do manifest. A speedy diagnosis is important to the effective treatment of mesothelioma, and
without being aware of the facts your doctor may not be able to make the diagnosis as quickly as he would if
he is aware of the situation.
Although there are treatments for mesothelioma, they do not have a high success rate particularly on patients
in whom the cancer is in its later stages. The faster the mesothelioma is diagnosed and treated, the more
chance of success, which is why it is important to get as fast a diagnosis as possible.
Current treatments for mesothelioma include surgery, radiation therapy, palliative therapy and
chemotherapy. The National Institute of Cancer along with a variety of other organizations and sponsors are
currently conducting research into mesothelioma and carrying out clinical trials to try and find a treatment that
will not only be more effective but will enable the successful treatment of the disease even in its later stages.
