Mesothelioma Law

Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma. Usually, the body filters out and removes foreign debris through the use of mucus in the mouth, throat, nose and lungs. But when exposure to asbestos dust or fibers occurs, the asbestos travels past the usual safety net and reach the lining of the lungs, called the pleura, where they damage the mesothelial cells.

The damage to the mesothelial cells is caused initially by inflammation and then by scarring. The inflammation and scarring also stimulates the growth of these cells. The asbestos that reaches these mesothelial cells can also damage the cell’s DNA, which can lead to uncontrolled cell growth which then leads to malignant mesothelioma.

The presence of asbestos in the lungs can also cause other problems besides mesothelioma. When scar tissue continues to build up, it eventually takes the place of the regular lung tissue. The condition that happens when scar tissue overtakes the regular lung tissue is called asbestosis. Beyond the lungs, the asbestos fibers can be swallowed, which causes them to reach the abdominal cavity. Peritoneal mesothelioma results when the same process of inflammation, scarring and DNA change occurs in the lining of the abdominal cavity.

These asbestos fibers can also migrate to the heart’s mesothelium and when that occurs, pericardial mesothelioma may develop. Pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest form of this cancer and occurs in less than ten percent of mesothelioma victims.

What’s especially difficult is that you don’t necessarily have to work directly with asbestos, asbestos dust, or asbestos fibers to be at risk for malignant mesothelioma. There have been documented cases where spouses and family members of people who worked with asbestos in some way developed mesothelioma from the dust and fibers being brought into homes on work clothes. Especially spouses who washed work clothes contaminated with asbestos in some form.