Mesothelioma Law

Risk factors increase one’s chances of developing cancer. Exposure to risk factors does not guarantee development of cancer but does increase the odds. Most diseases have more than one risk factor and the more risk factors that a person is exposed to, the greater their odds of acquiring that particular disease become. As there are many different kinds of cancer, each having their own causes; each has their own risk factors as well.

Asbestos

Asbestos exposure is the prime risk factor for mesothelioma. A fibrous silicate substance, asbestos used to be found in many common products. Products such as insulation, floor tiles, door gaskets, soundproofing, roofing, and patching compounds all have been known to contain asbestos. Asbestos was commonly used in the production and application of all of these products during the 1970’s and 80’s. It was not until the late 80’s and early 90’s that medical world became aware of mesothelioma and its connection with asbestos exposure. The use of asbestos has since been halted in most cases. This accounts for the stabilization in the number of new mesothelioma cases by 1990.

It is believed that the number of new cases is decreasing since the identification of asbestos exposure as the main cause for mesothelioma. This is not to say that asbestos has been eradicated from today’s society. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that over 700,000 public buildings, including nearly a quarter of our nation’s public schools still have asbestos insulation. However, these asbestos particles are not considered a threat until attempts are made to remove them. Typically, those who have the greatest threat of asbestos exposure are people who work in construction or who work installing insulation.

The families of these construction workers are also at risk as the asbestos particles can be carried home on clothing. In certain regions of America, asbestos can also be found in nature, where it can be found in dust and rocks.

Serpentine is the most commonly used form of asbestos. The fiber-like Serpentine particles, known as Chrysolite are moldable and therefore easy to work with. The other main kind of asbestos is more dangerous and less useful. These thin cylindrical fibers are known as Amphibioles. Exposure to Amphibiole asbestos creates the greater threat for developing cancer.

But all forms of asbestos, even the most commonly used serpentine fibers are carcinogenic, and all can increase the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, as well as asbestosis, which occurs when scar tissue forms inside the human lung. In fact, these are the three main health threats related to heavy asbestos exposure.

Human exposure to asbestos fibers is a matter of inhalation. The fibers are inhaled through the nose, where they pass through the trachea and the bronchi. The body uses mucus to catch these foreign particles where they can then be exited by way of coughing or swallowing. However, some asbestos particles are thin enough to reach the mesothelial layers of tissue in the chest cavity and begin doing damage. The asbestos particles can cause inflammation and scarring of the mesothelial tissue as well as damage the DNA of the mesothelial cells.

It is not only the particles that reach the chest cavity which cause mesothelioma. Particles caught in the mucus stored in the nasal passage still pose a threat. Peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the mesothelium in the abdominal cavity, can be triggered by swallowing asbestos particles. While the threat is smaller, swallowed asbestos particles have been known to increase the risk of cancer developing in digestive and excretory organs.

Mesothelioma takes many years to develop and people who develop mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure typically have been exposed to the carcinogenic particles for at least 20 years. Asbestos is generally thought of as the main risk factor and cause of mesothelioma. Though, by themselves, they are not considered causes of the disease, there are other substances that can act as risk factors for cancer. These include medical radiation treatments, the inhalation of tobacco smoke, and a virus known as the SV40 virus.

Exposure to Radiation

Exposure to radiation is a risk factor for many medical problems as well as several forms of cancer. Thorium dioxide, which was used by doctors during the administering of X-ray tests, was found to be a risk factor for pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas and thus, its use has been discontinued in the medical realm.

Another risk factor that has been linked to the development of mesothelioma is the Simian Virus. As many as thirty million polio vaccinations administered in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s may have been contaminated with this virus, also known as the SV40 virus. Due to the gradual nature of the development of mesothelioma, a disease which can take as long as 70 years to develop, the actual extent of the SV40 Virus as a risk factor is yet to be seen. Much like Thorium dioxide, the SV40 Virus is no longer a contaminant found in today’s medical realm.

The introduction of tobacco smoke into the human body has been proven to cause many medical problems, especially in regards to the lungs and the human respiratory system. The smoke from tobacco products has been linked directly to lung cancer and is known to weaken the human respiratory system. While smoking has not been directly linked to mesothelioma, the combination of smoking with risk factors such as exposure to asbestos has been known to greatly increase the risk of developing mesothelioma.