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Gene Therapy for Mesothelioma
Gene Therapy for Mesothelioma An exciting new treatment that has given hope to mesothelioma victims is called gene therapy. Gene therapy attempts to decipher why proteins within certain cells cause them to be resilient to cancer while some cells do...
What are the three main symptoms to lung cancer?
The main three symptoms to lung cancer that should not be ignored are shortness of breath, pain when breathing or coughing, and existence of a persistent cough, especially if it is accompanied by expectoration of sputum streaked with blood....
What is Mesothelioma? - The Basics
What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that effects the lining of
the chest, abdomen or heart. Most people who have or have had
mesothelioma have been exposed to asbestos about 35-40 years
before contracting the disease....
What treatments are available for mesothelioma victims?
Mesothelioma is touted as deadly because most of the cases
are diagnosed when in advanced stage and doctors have little
solace to offer by then. Still doctors try to do their best
to relieve the patients from severe pain of mesothelioma
using...
What You Need to Know about a Mesothelioma Law Suit, Mesothelioma Law and a Mesothelioma Law Firm
There is some important information you should be aware of if you are considering pursuing a Mesothelioma Law Suit. Prior to pursuing a Mesothelioma Law Suit you should seek advice from a reputable Mesothelioma Law Firm and gain an understanding of...
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Causes of Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer in the general
population. However, in individuals that were exposed to
asbestos, it is not as rare. That's because the only known,
established cause of Mesothelioma is asbestos. There are experts
that have speculated on other causes. There are incidences of
Mesothelioma with no known asbestos exposure. However, that does
not mean that there was no exposure. The right questions have to
be asked. The person asking the question has to be familiar with
the uses and applications of the asbestos products. There are
many examples where inadequate occupational histories were taken
and potential exposures were not investigated.
Asbestos the single largest cause. Asbestos has actually been in
use for centuries and has been the cause of a number of ailments
and diseases, including the deadly cancer Mesothelioma. The word
Asbestos literally means inextinguishable and this name was
given to this mineral by the ancient Greeks. The Greeks gave it
this name because of its amazing fireproof qualities, although
they also noted the harmful effects that asbestos had upon
workers.
What is Asbestos? Asbestos is soft and flexible, and has been
widely used for many years for a variety of things. The modern
use for this mineral is for insulation, and it has been used in
a wide range of items and structures, from ceilings and walls to
toasters and hairdryers. This mineral became popular during the
industrial revolution as an effective and safe form of
insulation - safe in that it was fireproof, but certainly not
safe in any other sense. Although the risks involved in using
and working with asbestos had been observed several hundred
years earlier, these risks were not taken into account when
asbestos became widely used for insulation.
It was not until the 1900s that the facts regarding the risks
involved to workers began to
re-emerge. An English physician
carried out a post-mortem on a man who had worked with asbestos
for many years, and he found traces of fibers and dust in the
man's lungs. The doctor stated that the man had died due to his
exposure to this mineral. Over the next twenty or so years
professionals in many countries began to notice the fact that
disease, illness and death was uncommonly high amongst asbestos
workers.
In the mid 1920s, an English doctor made the first diagnosis of
asbestosis, and this was followed by a study, which showed that
25% of English asbestos workers showed signs of a related lung
disease. Laws were then stepped up in England to provide better
ventilation and more protection to workers who were regularly
exposed to asbestos. Other countries slowly followed these steps
over the next decade.
This protection was slow to be implemented and did not prove all
that effective. Although asbestos manufacturers and companies
that used the mineral were now aware of these studies and the
risks involved to workers, they continued to use asbestos
widely, exposing many workers to the hazards associated with it.
These employees continued to work with asbestos, totally
oblivious of the harm that it was capable of causing. Asbestos
continued to be widely used until the mid-seventies, by which
time many workers has been exposed and were already unknowingly
affected by what we now know as Mesothelioma.
About the author:
Rob Mellor owns the free to use
www.mesotheliomasupportonline.com website helping people find
out more about mesothelioma
symptoms. Please visit the site for more information on mesothelioma causes
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