What is Your Exposure Risk to Asbestos?

Asbestos has been under attack as a material in various products since the 1970s. That doesn't mean that it has been eradicated from homes, products and work places. It still exists, which means you need to evaluate your risk to exposure and the horrific health results that can occur.

Asbestos is actually a fairly amazing material. It is fibrous form of a number of minerals and has an astounding trait. It is naturally fire resistant. Actually, that is a bit of an understatement. It is perhaps the single most fire resistant naturally occurring fiber in the world. Given this trait, it has been used in products ranging from the tiles on ceilings in schools to the brake pads on your car. If there is a heat element or fire concern to something, asbestos was probably used at one point or another to deal with it.

Ah, but asbestos is banned now, right? Yes and no. It has been banned in many applications since the late 1980s and cannot be used in new applications. Anything that falls between these two areas, however, is fair game. Moreover, asbestos often still is found in applications that were created well before the ban took place such as commercial buildings.

We are all exposed to asbestos all the time. Only a very unlucky few have any problems from the exposure. The bigger risk is with repeated exposure such as when a person works with asbestos or lives in contact with it when perhaps they don't realize it. The attack on the Twin Towers was a horrific act, but the problems were multiplied when it was realized that the North Tower had tons of asbestos used in its building materials. This created a massive, intense exposure problem. Rescue workers and clean up crews almost immediately started suffering breathing problems and will not need to be looked at closely for the rest of their lives.

For the rest of us, exposure issues come down to working with the product or living with it. Your employer should alert you to any asbestos use in the work place. As far as living with it goes, the issue is one of knowing the age of your building and paying attention to notices indicating asbestos is or may be present. Such notices are required by law.

Asbestos exposure is a very serious issue to be considered. That being said, the chances of being confronted with repeated asbestos exposure without any public notices being given is very rare. Of course, you need to pay attention to those notices.

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Information You Need to Know on the Rare Form of Cancer Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer where the malignant cells are found in the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a protective sac that covers most of the body's internal organs. The most common way people develop this is through inhaling asbestos particles at a job where this is possible. Mesothelioma asbestos is something you certainly need to be wary of if you suspect this being a possibility at your job.

The disease occurs when the cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order. The cells can then invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. These cancer cells can also spread from the original place to other parts of the body which is a huge concern with this form of cancer. It typically begins as pleura mesothelioma as this is where it originates from.

Mesothelioma rates have certainly increased over the past 20 years, but fortunately it is still a fairly rare form of cancer. On average there are about 2,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year. You will find that this is more common in men than with women and the risk certainly increases with age.

While there are various mesothelioma symptoms to be aware of, they may not occur until 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. This can make it increasingly difficult to stop before it is too late. However, some of the symptoms to watch for include shortness of breath and pain in the chest because of the accumulation of fluid in the pleura.

Other symptoms to be aware of for peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal pain and swelling. The reason for this is because of a buildup of fluid in the abdomen. You may also want to watch out for bowel obstruction, blood clotting, and fever.

After learning about this mesothelioma information, you are probably curious as to treatment methods. There are a few ways different mesothelioma treatment methods you can pursue. It really depends on the location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and overall health.

One of the most common methods is surgery. The doctor will remove part of the lining of the chest or abdomen and some of the tissue around it. In certain cases the diaphragm may be removed as well.

Another option is radiation therapy in which the use of high-energy rays is used to kill cancer cells while shrinking tumors. This will only affect the cancer cells that are in the treated area.

The last form of mesothelioma treatment is chemotherapy. This is the use of anticancer drugs that kill cancer cells throughout the body. Most drugs that are used for this purpose are given by injection into a vein, but there is research being done on how effective it would be to put the chemotherapy directly into the chest or abdomen.

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Mesothelioma - The Asbestos Ban That Wasn't

The litigation surrounding asbestos and Mesothelioma has been legendary. It represented the little guy against huge corporate entities. The entities prevailed for a very long time, but ultimately the fact asbestos exposure was causing Mesothelioma and lung cancer could not be avoided. Eventually, the government moved to ban asbestos in products and then the controversy started.

The great asbestos wars of the 1960s, 70s and 80s were iconic. The issue of whether asbestos in products caused health problems was highly disputed. The manufacturers claimed that it didn't. Workers claimed that not only did it, but the manufacturers had known it did and still released it in products. This created a war of lawyers unlike any seen in a long time.

Eventually, it became clear that the manufacturers of asbestos were in the wrong. As is often the case, the government took its sweet time doing anything but finally did. The response finally occurred on July 12, 1989 when the EPA issued a final ruling effectively banning asbestos in the vast majority of products whether they be building materials, brake pads, insulation or whatever. The story, however, was not at an end.

The manufacturers struck back. They appealed the order and to some effect. In 1991, the Fifth Circuit Appellate Court struck down part of the EPA order. It was a lengthy and complex decision, but essentially found certain areas should not be regulated. This ultimately resulted in the "sort-of" asbestos ban that we have today.

So, where do things stand with asbestos? Generally, asbestos cannot be used in any new products that traditionally have not used it before. Also, it is banned from use in roll board, flooring felt, and commercial, corrugated, or specialty paper. Other than that, there is no ban. If this doesn't surprise you, it should.

There is a common belief that Mesothelioma cases will start to fade away in the next ten to twenty years as asbestos ban of 1989 starts to take real effect given the 40 year gestation period for Mesothelioma. This assumption is simply wrong. How so? We know that asbestos is still being used widely despite the EPA ban. Where asbestos and humans mix, Mesothelioma is sure to follow.

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The Health Risks of Asbestos: Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is an extremely serious form of lung cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos. Though asbestos has been out of prominent use for quite some time, those who may have been exposed can benefit from more information about mesothelioma as a condition, in addition to what options they may have to receive compensation.

Asbestos has been in use since the mythological era of Ancient Greece, but asbestos can be a modern-day killer. Widely used for fireproof insulation purposes in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, asbestos has since been found to cause the deadly cancer mesothelioma along with other lung conditions.

Occupational Exposure and Dangers To Workers

After noticing that chronic diseases, especially cancers of the lung such as mesothelioma, were extremely common in construction workers who were exposed to asbestos, doctors began making a connection between asbestos and mesothelioma. Unfortunately, construction and other workers who were exposed to asbestos from the 1950s through the 1970s, when the dangers of asbestos were more fully recognized, are still suffering from the ill effects of asbestos exposure at work. There are now laws and regulations in place that are designed to prevent workers from exposure to toxic asbestos; however, these laws cannot undo years upon years of exposure to this deadly mineral in the workplace.

Delayed Diagnosis Due To Long Dormancy Period

Workers may have been exposed to asbestos in the 1970s, but may only just now be developing the tell-tale symptoms of mesothelioma. This is because the disease is slow to manifest, which challenges doctors struggling to diagnose and treat mesothelioma patients in time. As a result of mesothelioma's tendency to often align its symptoms with those of other diseases, in addition to the fact that full blown symptoms can take quite long to manifest, the disease is often misdiagnosed as pneumonia or other lung diseases in its early stages in some workers.

Mesothelioma Symptoms

Symptoms of mesothelioma can include:

A shortness of breath, abdominal swelling, pain of the abdomen, blood clotting problems, chest pain, chronic cough, heart palpitations, fever, labored breath, and weight loss.

Pleural, peritoneal and pericardial mesothelioma are all possible variations of the deadly cancer, with pleural (lung) mesothelioma the most commonly manifested version of the disease.

High-Risk Professions

Though the use of asbestos is now regulated by laws and regulations, the disease's long dormancy period means that it still has a high number of potential victims. Any profession that involved repeated exposure to asbestos in its industrial forms put its workers at a high risk for toxic asbestos exposure and mesothelioma.

These professions include:

Painters, carpenters, construction workers, mechanics, insulators, electricians and other building workers, especially any who participated in home or commercial construction before the 1970s.

The families of these workers were also at risk, since they may have inhaled or ingested asbestos through the employee's clothing or hair.

Legal Options

Because of the huge number of potentially affected workers, there has been a significant amount of litigation against companies who irresponsibly used asbestos, exposing their workers to the threat of mesothelioma and other life-threatening asbestos-related illnesses. If you are suffering the ill effects of asbestos exposure, talk to your doctor and determine a reasonable treatment plan. Therefore get in touch with an asbestos lawyer who has significant experience in mesothelioma litigation. A competent asbestos lawyer may be able to help you recover damages for the pain and suffering incurred through asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, defray the costs of treatmentBusiness Management Articles, and provide for your children if you die of the disease.

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Mesothelioma cancer-A simple overview

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos without adequate protection over one's mouth and nose. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral which was discovered in the 1860s but later became popular in the 1930s. Asbestos was used hugely in construction due to the fact that it is fire resistant even at high temperatures. It was not until much later in the 1960s that it became evident that asbestos was causing a number of diseases. These diseases include mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

Asbestos - the main cause of mesothelioma:

When exposed to asbestos without sufficient protection, a person will inhale many tiny asbestos fibers that are suspended in the air. These will pass into the respiratory system and get most probably get lodged in the lining of the lungs. An accumulation of these fibers can cause the cells around it to become abnormal and this can lead to mesothelioma. When this asbestos fibers get into the lymphatic system they can be transported to and eventually lodged in the lining of the abdomen or in the lining of the heart.

The symptoms of mesothelioma:

The symptoms of mesothelioma vary depending on what type of mesothelioma a patient has. However, there are several common symptoms of all types. These include chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, coughing up blood, weight loss and loss of appetite. These symptoms usually take affect only when the mesothelioma cancer has advanced and is well developed. Due to the fact that these symptoms also occur in a number of other common diseases such as pneumonia, mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose in its early stages.

Treatment:

As yet, mesothelioma has no cure and all the presently available treatments have a very low success rate. The effectiveness of treatment depends largely on how aggressively and early the cancer is treated. If treated in its later stages when it has fully developed, it is extremely difficult, almost impossible to cure. Treatments include surgery which comes in two forms, aggressive surgery and palliative procedures, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and dual therapy which is a combination of all three main treatments combined. Dual therapy has shown the most promising signs so far as a curer for mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma research:

Research is currently going on in several laboratories all over the world, United States in particularFind Article, but up till know there has not been any major breakthrough. There are also a lot of pharmaceutical companies trying to find new chemotherapy drugs to improve on the quality and efficacy of the ones available presently. There are many researchers who believe that long awaited new effective treatment will soon be found.

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Uses of Asbestos

Throughout time, asbestos has been used in a variety of contexts. The fiber was originally used by the Greeks who loved it as a fire-proof table cloth that could be tossed in the fire for cleaning whenever it got dirty. Since then, the use of asbestos has expanded into a variety of areas. At the peak of its use and through the late 1980s, asbestos was used in more than 3,000 products in homes.

A large number of products using asbestos are used in construction products. Asbestos is used in various construction components because it is both fireproof and provides insulation. It is excellent for insulating against sound from other room as well as insulating against heat.
Some products in buildings that contain asbestos include:

- Floor tiles and sheet flooring
- Construction putties and mastics
- Decorative plaster or artex
- Acoustic plaster
- Textured paints
- Spray coatings
- Pipework lagging
- Water tanks
- Roofs, gutters, downpipes
- Wall panels
- Door linings
- Floors and walls
- Loft insulation

Asbestos is also used in a variety of industrial compounds and parts of cars. Brake pads, clutch cables, and a number of other items that are subject to heat in cars all have been known to include asbestos. Other items that include asbestos are:

- Lift shaft linings
- Soffits/fascia boards
- Brake linings
- Bituminous felts
- Fire safes/filing cabinets
- Thermal taping compounds
- Packing materials
- Ventilation system linings/laggings
- School blackboards

The prevalence of asbestos in such a wide variety of products that are used in such a wide variety of areas means that almost anyone can be at risk of exposure. Some of the most commonly affected individuals include contractors, car mechanics, shipworkers, firefighters, clean-up crews, and numerous other groups.

Due to the risk of asbestos, individuals should be careful to take any and all precautions possible for avoiding the inhalation of the deadly fiber. While the fiber has numerous uses in the construction and industrial world, it is deadly for human beings. So far, asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer, and asbestosis, a lung disease.

Asbestos fibers do not immediately trigger disease and cancer. It usually takes more than one exposure to the fiber to trigger or result in asbestosis or mesothelioma.

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Top Asbestos Attorneys

Asbestos is a mineral made of tough, supple, and flexible fiber. Neither chemicals nor heat have any effect on asbestos. It is widely used in many industries. However, this fiber can be easily inhaled or swallowed. Exposure to asbestos can cause various ailments such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma, and cancer of the larynx, oropharynx, gastrointestinal tract, and kidney. Top attorneys have joined hands with workers, to fight for the safety of workers and against the disastrous effects of asbestos.

Numerous health provisions were incorporated for people affected by the hazards of asbestos. Asbestos is not banned, but laws have been framed to protect workers exposed to the effects of asbestos. Asbestos attorneys protect the rights and provide compensation to the afflicted individuals. The hazardous effects of asbestos have created awareness amongst many citizens.

Asbestos attorneys include a team of specialized and qualified attorneys who represent the applicant. When considering a lawsuit, people need to find a topmost attorney who can handle the case well because they are mostly filed against established companies. These companies may use tactics to deceive the court or cover up some vital information. As the law has included provisions that define the adverse effects of asbestos-related sicknesses, the patient can prove his or her case with the help of medical reports and employment terms and conditions with the defaulting company. The asbestos attorneys help the workers in the recovery of compensation related to medical expenses, loss of job, financial crunches and after effects of the disease.

Top asbestos attorneys have developed the most original, insistent, and dynamic strategies in the nation to protect their client's rights. These attorneys prepare every case for trial rather than rushing to an appeal haggle. This broad preparation and exceptional courtroom reputation actually keeps most cases from trial and produce better results.

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Mesothelioma - Cancer that Strikes 40 Years Later

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective sac that covers most of the body's internal organs. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles.

In his article called
Knee Deep in Asbestos [http://www.mesotheliomaadvisors.com/2.html], freelance writer Phil Jones relates how when he was a teenager he worked for a brief time in an asbestos mine in the Yukon. One of the features of daily life
was the constant presence of asbestos dust in the air. As Jones writes,

There were employees that worked in the mill whose sole job was to sweep up the dust that fell on the floor. There was so much of it that this was a constant ongoing job. The asbestos dust in the mill actually fell almost like snow and covered the floor completely. Without sweepers there would probably have been several
inches of asbestos dust on the floor within an hour or so. In fact, I remember seeing sweepers go by pushing their wide brooms and the new dust settling onto the floor behind them as they walked.

This story illustrates a number of the more sinister aspects of the whole mesothelioma story.

First, over the course of many decades, countless workers were placed in work environments where they were exposed to high levels of asbestos fibre with little protection. Their exposure to asbestos fibres was constant and often took place over a very long period of time - in most cases, over many years.

Second, the owners and managers of these work places were often either unaware of the risk of mesothelioma, or they actively attempted to hide or cover up those risks.

Third, since the effects of exposure to asbestos fibre often do not become apparent for 30 or 40 years after prolonged exposure, there often appeared to be no immediate health risk in these work environments. This made it very difficult
for workers or their representatives to make a convincing case that worker health was being sacrificed on the altar of corporate profit.

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The Asbestos Coverup

Possibly the most shocking, disheartening, and infuriating cover-up in American history is the concealment of the true dangerous nature of asbestos. The intentional cover-up of the harmful and deadly effects of asbestos contributed to thousands of illnesses and deaths of workers who were unaware of this deathtrap. Asbestos has been the sole cause of mesothelioma, asbestosis, and some forms of lung cancer. These merciless diseases have led to the loss of friends and family; all innocent people whose lives could have been saved by stopping the use of asbestos.

Asbestos has been used for centuries, dating as far back as 3000 BC. This material was mostly used for insulation due to its temperature resistant qualities. Those who used asbestos in past times have noted that workers seem to die prematurely after working with asbestos. This simple revelation did not seem to thwart asbestos use during the Industrial Revolution in the late 1890s to 1900s. The high demand for Navy ships caused the use of asbestos to jump 17-fold at shipyards during WWII, endangering millions.

The first documented asbestos-related deaths were in 1906. From this time on, companies that used asbestos in various industries made it their sole objective to hide the harmful effects from their workers. Asbestos was a common material used in shipbuilding, construction, and building. As asbestos companies learned more and more about the effects of asbestos exposure, they falsified documents to convince their workers that asbestos did not pose a threat. Instead of saving thousands of lives, the companies decided that profits were most important.

Legislation finally was implemented to control the use of asbestos in the 1970s. Successful lawsuits against asbestos companies were brought and continue to this day. Unfortunately, this was too late for many who had been exposed to asbestos for years. Because the incubation period for these diseases, especially mesothelioma, is about 15-30 years, workers had no idea of their condition and found out too late that they were gravely ill. When diagnosed, mesothelioma victims have less than 24 months to live. Symptoms arise when the disease is in its advanced stages, therefore, eliminating the chance to cure the cancer. Mesothelioma is 100% lethal. This is the fate that the heartless companies bestowed upon their dedicated workers.

The asbestos cover-up has burned itself into American history. It is a shame that asbestos companies could be so heartless and expose their own workers to certain death. The despicable concealment of the dangers of asbestos forever changed many industries and many people's lives. Successful lawsuits have given some comfort back to families, and bankrupted the asbestos industry, but money can never buy back life.

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What the Asbestos Companies Knew About Mesothelioma

The asbestos industry caused a great amount of pain to many families by ignoring the startling evidence that asbestos exposure is harmful and often deadly. All of the suffering could have been avoided because the asbestos companies knew a lot more than they informed the public about. The companies considered the protection of the industry more important than the lives of their workers.

Back in the 1920s, a large variety of medical articles showed that there was scarring on the lungs of asbestos factory workers. This evidence was revealed during autopsies of those workers. Asbestos companies had full knowledge of these articles, but chose to ignore the facts presented because the public reaction to such information would kill the asbestos industry.

Further studies in the 1930s revealed that asbestos miners and factory workers were indeed dying of lung disease and cancer. There was enough evidence to support an undeniable correlation between asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma. Sadly, the companies decided to suppress this overwhelming evidence and in a series of letters between asbestos companies. In these same letters, executives revealed how far the companies were willing to go in order to protect their own interests. These letters that were circulated in the 1930s are called the "Sumner Simpson Papers." In these letters, certain asbestos company executives made statements such as "the less said about asbestos, the better off we are." Owens Illinois and Owens Corning Fiberglas conducted studies in the 1940s, attempting to prove that asbestos exposure was harmless, and save the asbestos industry. The studies revealed the exact opposite. They showed that exposure to asbestos was indeed quite harmful and even deadly. In light of the studies, the companies attempted to force scientists to change their conclusions.

Asbestos companies had full knowledge of the potential harm that could be caused by exposure to asbestos. Scientists and studies confirmed that there was a direct relationship between asbestos exposure and early death. Asbestos companies first tried to cover up the knowledge and silence scientists who conducted studies showing the harmful effects of asbestos exposure. Once the information about asbestos came to the public, these same companies attempted to deny having knowledge that people simply working around asbestos-containing products would suffer. The companies denied knowledge in order to avoid lawsuits. The simple fact is that asbestos-containing products cause serious injury and often lead to premature death. For this reason, mesothelioma lawsuits are quite valid and are in no way frivolous. Lung disease, lung cancer, and mesothelioma all stem from asbestos exposure. Many lives could have been saved if the asbestos companies were willing to release the information that they had access to.

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