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Who is at Risk
for Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is
a deadly disease which has
topped news headlines for the
last decade. It is contracted
through exposure to airborne
fibers of asbestos. Sadly, due
to the
under-regulation of asbestos
usage in years past and still today,
millions of people have been
exposed to airborne fibers and
as a result thousands have contracted
the disease.
It can be safely
said that almost everyone in the
world has been exposed to
asbestos in varying degrees.
Because of the unique nature of
the disease, even those who have
suffered only minimal exposure
are at risk of contracting the
disease. In effect, virtually
everyone has some risk of
contracting
Mesothilioma.
But this sort of
statement perhaps oversteps the
bounds of rationality. While it
is certainly true that
individuals who have been
exposed to small amounts of
asbestos for relatively short
periods of time have contracted
the disease, this is a rarity
rather than a regularity. In
fact, the vast majority of
Mesotyelioma cases involve
individuals who were exposed to
airborne asbestos fibers for
intense and extended periods of
time.
The industries
most in danger of prolonged
exposure and thus of contraction
of this disease
are shipbuilding trades,
asbestos mining and milling,
textile manufacturing,
insulation work in construction,
and brake repair personnel.
There are, however, some other
minor factors which can affect
the likelihood of contracting
the disease. Among these is
radiation exposure. There have
been cases in which individuals
who were exposed to radiation
have subsequently displayed
signs of and ultimately
contracted mesotheloma.
However, empirical studies to
attempt to verify this
correlation have not proven out
this claim very strongly.
Another more
certain cause of the disease was
the taking of the Polio vaccine
between 1955 and 1963. Some
batches of this vaccine were
contaminated with Simian Virus
40 which has been detected in a
host of rare cancers including
Mesothelioma.
Those involved
in construction or who lived in
homes in the Cappadocian region
of Turkey are also particularly
at risk. In this region,
homebuilders used Erionite,
which is a type of zeolite
silica stone. Exposure to the
fibrous strands of this building
material have led to an annual
death rate of roughly 1% of the
population which dies of
mesotheloma each year in
Turkey.
One of the most
influential factors affecting
Mesothilioma contraction is
genetics. Some individuals who
have been exposed to long
periods and high quantities of
asbestos have not contracted the
disease. As a result, doctors
have concluded that genetics
play a major role in determining
whether or not patients contract
the disease. Unfortunately, the
gene variability which offers
some resistance to the disease
also means that others are
particularly vulnerable to
asbestos exposure
Who Is At
Increased Risk For Developing
Mesothelioma?
Since the late
1800's asbestos has been mined
and used commercially. The use
of asbestos dramatically
increased during
World War II
and since the early 1940's
millions of Americans have been
exposed to asbestos dust working
within industries where initially
the risks were not known. There
has been widespread exposure to
Asbestos by workers within
shipyards, mines and mills,
producers of asbestos products,
workers in the heating and
construction industries, and
other trades people and an
increase risk of developing mesothelioma has been the
result. .
Today, the U.S.
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) sets
limits for acceptable levels of
asbestos exposure in the
workplace. By contrast, the
British Government's Health and
Safety executive (HSE) states
formally that any threshold for
mesothilioma must be at a very
low level and it is widely
agreed that if any such
threshold does exists at all,
then it cannot currently be
quantified. For practical
purposes, therefore, HSE does
not assume that any such
threshold exists. People who
work with asbestos wear personal
protective equipment to lower
their risk of exposure.
The risk of
asbestos-related disease
increases with heavier exposure
to asbestos and longer exposure
time. However, some individuals
with only brief exposures have
developed mesothilioma. On the
other hand, not all workers who
are heavily exposed develop
asbestos-related diseases.
Family members and others living
with asbestos workers have an
increased risk of developing
mesotheloma, and possibly other
asbestos-related diseases. This
risk may be the result of
exposure to asbestos dust
brought home on the clothing and
hair of asbestos workers. To
reduce the chance of exposing
family members to asbestos
fibers, asbestos workers are
usually required to shower and
change their clothing before
leaving the workplace.
The combination
of smoking and asbestos exposure
significantly increases a
person's risk of developing
cancer of the air passageways in
the lung. The Kent brand of
cigarettes used asbestos in its
filters for the first few years
of production in the 1950s and
some cases of mesotyelioma have
resulted. Smoking current
cigarettes does not appear to
increase the risk of
mesothelioma.
There is no
curable treatment. Close
monitoring (routine X-rays or
even pleural biopsy) for mesothelioma is mandated.
To relieve the
shortness of breath oxygen
therapy at home is often
reccommended. Supportive
treatment of symptoms includes
respiratory treatment to remove
secretions from the lungs by
postural drainage, chest
percussion, and vibration.
Aerosol medications to thin
secretions may be prescribed.
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