Cancer Resources

The question often asked these days is whether asbestos is still a hazard to people. As many ads as we see on TV talking about Mesothelioma, one would think that asbestos is still a real threat to our home air quality. Research seems to indicate it is not.

Asbestos was used in many building materials in the 19th century because is was found to have some great properties. It actually is a naturally occurring silicate mineral. It has long fibrous crystals and can withstand very high heat.. It is the long fibrous crystals that cause the problems in our lungs. Asbestos was used in buildings in the US through the 1970s. It was used to fireproof roofing and flooring, for heat insulation, and for a host of other purposes. Continue reading ‘Asbestos and Home Air Quality’ »

Most people are primarily concerned with the dangers of asbestos in their home. For those who live in houses and apartment buildings that were constructed prior to the 1988 ban and asbestos phase-out, this is a reasonable concern. However, you may not be aware that asbestos has been found in places that you may rarely encounter. Nonetheless, you should be aware of these surprising sources of asbestos.

Even a small amount of contact with asbestos can cause you to develop severe health problems and even cancers such as mesothelioma, lung, gastrointestinal, throat, esophageal, and kidney. Thus, although you definitely do not want to have dangerous asbestos in your home where you spend the most time, you may not want to risk going into a building that may have asbestos. Some people are more susceptible to the carcinogen than others, and one encounter may be all you need.

The reason for the widespread presence of asbestos is because it does have several potentially life-saving characteristics. Asbestos is a member of the silicate mineral family. Silicates are known for their insulating capabilities; it resists heat, flame, chemicals, and electricity. Additionally, asbestos itself has the enviable properties of high tensile strength and flexibility, which means that it is easily added to materials that need some of these resistant capabilities. Continue reading ‘Surprising Sources of Asbestos’ »

Advertised as a miracle substance to an unwary public, asbestos has been applied in thousands of products and in many workplaces. Though the damage caused by asbestos is not apparent initially, asbestos exposure can cause serious, debilitating, and frequently fatal diseases.

The most widespread forms of asbestos disease are pleural plaques, asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer that assaults mesothelium and is most usually found in the lung. Mesothelioma is uncommon or nonexistent in non-asbestos exposed populations but is becoming more widespread among asbestos-exposed individuals.

In the United States, there is no other common proven cause of mesothelioma other than asbestos. Unlike other types of lung cancer, mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs and not a cancer that arises inside the lung. Mesothelioma causes the cells of the mesothelium to become abnormal and significantly reproduce. Continue reading ‘The Deadliest Disease – Mesothelioma Asbestos Cancer’ »

Now, everyone knows about the dangers of asbestos usage. However, we have been using asbestos for thousands of years and are only just now outlawing unsafe use of this material. Long ago, ancient people recognized the wondrous properties of asbestos that allowed it to become such a widespread product in our lives.

The first civilization that used asbestos that we know of were the inhabitants of Finland from 3,000 years ago. Communities have been found and excavated that consist of log cabins and dwellings that have asbestos mixed in as part of the chinking. Additionally, pottery shards contained the material as well.

Next, the Egyptians utilized asbestos to embalm pharaohs, and they wove it into their clothes to make them more durable. The Persians also used the substance for their dead, importing in from India to be used as a wrap for the deceased. Continue reading ‘History of Asbestos Usage’ »

Early civilizations in what is now Finland recognized the usefulness of asbestos about 3,000 years ago. The Persians, Greeks, and Romans continued its popularity 1,000 years later. Even up through the 20th century, we utilized asbestos in a number of different products until it was phased out and banned starting in 1989.

Asbestos is extremely useful both due to its own characteristics, but also as a silicate mineral. Silicates in general tend to be highly resistant to many different things, which makes them great insulators. Silicate minerals protect against chemicals, heat, flame, and electricity. They are also highly resistant to biodegradation. Additionally, asbestos has several useful properties on its own. It has high tensile strength and is very flexible, which means that it can easily be spun into cloth as well as added to other materials. Continue reading ‘Types of Asbestos and Their Uses’ »

Background:

“Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which (cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective sac that covers most of the body’s internal organs.” The disease then proceeds to affect the abdomen wall or in this case, the peritoneum. It then goes on to infect a serious of membranes in the region as well as the membranes that enclose several other major organs. Mesothelioma is most oftenly found in people who have in some way inhaled asbestos particles or other airborn particles at their job or place of residence. Although, there is no connection between mesothelioma and smoking, which is a major factor in lung cancer. While smoking has not been proven to cause mesothelioma, it has been found to increase the risk of other asbestos-induce cancer. Of the 2.6 million annually diagnosed cases of mesolthelioma, 15% to 20% are peritoneal mesothelioma. Continue reading ‘Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma’ »

The idea of a World War was something that couldn’t be imagined prior to the 20th century. Then we had two in a matter of 35 years. The number of people killed in the wars was staggering. The fact that people continued to die for forty or fifty years after the end of World War II was all the more shocking until the cause was discovered.

Asbestos has long been considered a miracle material of sort. It is highly resistant to heat, which makes it a great insulator and fire wall wherever heat and electricity are found. This was a known fact for hundreds of years, but never really led to its use in a major way. Then World War II rolled around. Despite being the second of the two huge wars, it was the first that involved a really massive production of military materials. This led to the widespread use of asbestos and a resulting Mesothelioma nightmare. Continue reading ‘Mesothelioma – How World War II Killed Many Years Later’ »

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. Continue reading ‘Mesothelioma – The Asbestos Ban That Wasn't’ »

The vast majority of Mesothelioma cases are caused by exposure to asbestos in the workplace or at home. This is a common statement put forth about the cancer, but you’ll note it doesn’t state that all cases are caused by asbestos exposure. There are instances where asbestos is not involved. One that is garnering attention is whether the SV-40 Virus might cause it.

SV-40 stands for Simiun Virus 40, which is to say it is derived from monkeys. How did this virus become a concern to humans? Well, polio was once a huge health problem. A vaccine was developed for it that has largely eradicated the disease. Oh, there was one small problem. The vaccine was grown on monkey kidneys. Some of the monkeys had contracted SV-40. While not impacting the effectiveness of the vaccine, the virus did travel along with it into some human hosts. Continue reading ‘Mesothelioma – Can the SV-40 Virus Cause It?’ »

Mesothelioma is primarily caused by long-term, regular exposure to asbestos. People who have been exposed to asbestos insulation in the workplace have a higher death rate than anyone else from this type of cancer. In fact, they are about three hundred times more likely to die from it than those who are not in regular, direct contact with it. In some cases, people who were exposed to asbestos in the workplace have family members who develop the disease. This is thought to be possible because the workers bring the asbestos home on their clothes and their family members are in direct contact with it.

Pleural Mesothelioma, the most common form of the cancer, is thought be caused from the inhalation of asbestos dust. The fibers of asbestos are so small that the lungs are not able to filter them, allowing them to embed in the tissue of the lungs and form into cancer. Sometimes Mesothelioma is located in the lining of the abdomen. This is called peritoneal Mesothelioma , and is thought to be caused by ingesting asbestos. Asbestos can be ingested by eating food that has been contaminated with asbestos. Continue reading ‘Asbestos, The Deadly Time Bomb’ »