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Mesothilioma Causes, Mesothilioma & Asbestos Related Medical Conditions, Symptoms of Mesothilioma, Mesothilioma Statistics, Mesothilioma Stages, Mesothilioma Patient, Mesothilioma Doctor, Mesothilioma Treatment Options, Mesothilioma Prognosis, Malignant Mesothilioma, Mesothilioma Lawyers, Mesothilioma Attorneys, Mesothilioma Survival, Abdominal Mesothilioma, Pleural Mesothilioma, Peritonal Mesothilioma, Mesothilioma and Asbestos

Help For Malignant Mesothilioma & Asbestos Cancer Victims

This website is dedicated to bringing you all the information you need to understand and take action against mesothilioma, also known as mesothelioma.

What is Malignant Mesothilioma ?

Mesothilioma is a form of cancer that can attack three areas:
1. The cell lining around the outside of lungs
2. Inside the ribs (pleura)
3. Around abdominal organs (peritoneum).

Click here to learn more about treatment options for mesothilioma.

What causes Malignant Mesothilioma?

Mesothilioma is caused through exposure to asbestos fibres, where the asbestos fibres have been inhaled and brought onto the lungs. Read here for symptoms of malignant mesothilioma.

History of Malignant Mesothilioma

Knowledge about the negative affects of asbestos emerged as early as the 1950’s, however the asbestos manufacturers kept this to themselves. Early signs appeared in the 1960’s and the warnings were merely swept under the carpet. The results of exposure to Mesothelioma are becoming increasingly evident across former workers, and even today people are not informed about Mesothilioma in their work place, and can be at risk of Mesothilioma.

Asbestos and Malignant Mesothilioma

Asbestos is a mineral that has been used on the manufacturing industry up until the late 1960's. It was mainly used as a fire retardent. It has been most commonly found in people who worded in ship yards and the building and construction industry.

The asbestos fibres are usually breathed in or inhaled as a result of contact with the substance. The fibres work their way down to the mesothelium which produces fluid which keeps the intestines moist. However the cells in the mesothelium eventually start to divide uncontrollably, and the cancer is born.

Asbestos Exposure & Mesothilioma

Asbestos is a type of naturally occurring mineral with long fibrous crystals.  Asbestos was very popular among manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century for use as insulation against heat, electricity, and chemicals.  It was also used for sound absorption and tensile strength.  Unfortunately when the fibers are broken they shatter along the length of the fiber creating smaller fibers with diameters less than 1/1000th the thickness of a human hair.  These microscopic fibers become airborne very easily and remain airborne for long periods of time.  If these microscopic asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, over time this exposure can lead to malignant Mesothilioma.

Exposure to asbestos has been found to produce the following diseases:

• Malignant mesolithioma
• Asbestos lung cancer
• Asbestosis
• Fibrosis
• Diffuse pleural thickening

When asbestos was used for its resistance to heat or fire, asbestos fibers were mixed with cement or woven into fabric or mats.  Asbestos was used in this manner on electric oven and hotplate wiring for its electrical insulation properties at elevated temperatures, and was used in buildings has flame retardant insulation.  It was also used in buildings for its tensile strength, its flexibility, and its resistance to chemicals.  Asbestos was also used in fireproof drywall, flooring, roofing, and drywall joint compound.

Asbestos was used in the auto industry in brake shoes handed gaskets due to its heat resistance.  Asbestos fabric was often used as flame retardant material behind fuse boxes within automobiles.  Thousands of metric tons of asbestos were used in World War II ships to wrap the pipes, cover the engine and turbine parts, and line the boilers.

Asbestos exposure is a health hazard when concentrations of asbestos fibers are inhaled over a period of time.  People who develop Mesothilioma are almost always those who were exposed to asbestos on a daily basis and a job where they worked directly with the material.  If the person was exposed to these fibers in large amounts either by breathing more fibers were by breathing fibers for a longer period of time, that person's risk of Mesothilioma increases significantly.  This cancer is very unlikely to result from a single exposure to asbestos or from a shorter period of exposure to lower levels.

The people most likely to have been exposed to significant amounts of asbestos include:

* Asbestos miners
* construction workers
* boilermakers
* ship builders
* plumbers
* electricians
* demolition workers
* people who worked in other locations were asbestos was present
* people who lived near asbestos factories

It is believed that Mesothilioma is caused by asbestos fibers which are never broken down by the body.  If inhaled, these fibers eventually work their way into the pleura, the membrane around the lung, where they may eventually cause pleural Mesothilioma. 

If fibers are ingested, the microscopic asbestos fibers will work their way through the intestinal wall and into the peritoneum, the lining of the abdomen, where eventually they may cause peritoneal Mesothilioma.

Unfortunately, since 20 to 40 years may pass between exposure to asbestos and the onset of Mesothilioma symptoms, frequently diagnosis is not made until the symptoms become relatively severe, at which point the cancer has developed into its later stages. 

Late stage Mesothilioma is a very aggressive cancer, and treatment options are limited. 

Typically a mesothelioma doctor will treat the symptoms and work to make the patient comfortable but there is otherwise seldom that doctors can do for these victims. The survival rate for mesothilioma victims is unfortunately quite low.