Mesothelioma is a sort of cancer that is nearly always caused by getting exposed to asbestos. In this illness, malevolent cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers the majority of the body’s internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura ( outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall ), but it might also happen in the peritoneum ( the lining of the abdominal cavity ), the heart, the pericardium ( a sac that surrounds the heart ) or tunica vaginalis.
Mesothelioma exposure happens when airborne asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested by people. Asbestos is widely used in products like cement, construction materials, insulation equipment etc. It is a natural compound and is made into thin strands before being utilized industrially. It has been used greatly during the Second World War in ship building and war related activities. Later on the government banned the extensive use of asbestos when the relationship between asbestos exposure and Mesothelioma was exposed.
In spite of all the positive aspects, asbestos has a serious drawback. The inhaled particles can cause cancer to mesothelium, which is the protective membrane of our vital internal organs. The disease becomes noticeable only after a long duration of time, may about fifty years later. The delay in diagnosis results in the death of many patients. The disease must have assumed alarming proportions before the infection is detected.
Thousands of people have been affected by mesothelioma exposure so far. People living near places where asbestos extraction takes place, those engaged in its processing, those working in factories where asbestos is extensively used and family members of such workers who inadvertently comes into contact with the deadly particles which are brought home through cloths or hair are definitely under the risk of contracting mesothelioma. Preventive measures like wearing protective masks, changing cloths and taking a bath before leaving the workplace have been somewhat effective in preventing infection. But people who worked under asbestos filled atmosphere before these curbs came into place have no such luck. Many have lost their lives to this dreadful malady, but many others got their lives lengthened by some years by resorting to forceful curative measures.
Mesothelioma exposure causes three types of cancer, typically, pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma. The pleural variety is the most common while the pericardial cancer is the rarest but the most deadly. Since the prognosis of mesothelioma is not very encouraging, it is exceedingly essential that every person who has come under asbestos exposure at some point of time undergo proper medical checkups to detect any harmful growth in the mesothelium.
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February 20th, 2010
Heidi Wingrain
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