Asbestos and its Link to Malignant Mesothelioma

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 mesothelioma.

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 mesothelioma 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 mesothelioma 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 mesothelioma 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 mesothelioma. 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 mesothelioma.

Unfortunately, since 30 to 50 years may pass between exposure to asbestos and the onset of mesothelioma 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 mesothelioma is a very aggressive cancer, and treatment options are limited. Typically a doctor will treat the symptoms and work to make the patient comfortable.