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In the United States, the rate of fatality among mesothelioma patients is two to three thousand a year.  The UK nearly matches that rate: British mesothelioma deaths occur at the rate of about 2,000 per year.   In both countries it has been established that family members of individuals who have been repeatedly exposed to asbestos at some point during their working years are also at higher risk for contracting the disease.  Mesothelioma often surfaces decades after the exposure to asbestos.

Toronto’s University Health Network is conducting a study that seeks a method of early detection of mesothelioma.  This organization is Canada’s largest acute care teaching facility, comprised of three Toronto hospitals and a number of research laboratories.

The researchers are seeking volunteers who may have been exposed to asbestos for a lengthy study that will try to pinpoint the onset of mesothelioma.  The principal reason for the high fatality rate with this disease is that often it is not diagnosed until it is a highly developed form of cancer.  People who are exposed to asbestos at some point in their lives may not develop mesothelioma until many years have passed.

For fifteen years John Kielbasa has been reporting instances of loose asbestos that he has found in the facilities of his employer, the New York City Department of Education.  As a steamfitter, Mr. Kielbasa came across instance after instance where pipes, valves and other fittings that had asbestos coating still remained in school buildings.

Over the last two decades, the relationship between asbestos and the lethal cancer mesothelioma has been well established and liability for sickness among those exposed to asbestos during their working lives has been laid at the doors of product manufacturers.  Many public entities went through elaborate and expensive efforts to remove all asbestos from public buildings.

Because of advances in medicine, most people no longer think that a cancer diagnosis is a death sentence. For the most part, cancers can be treated, and the affected individual can go on to lead a normal life. This, however, is not the case for those individuals who are diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer. In fact, most patients who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are told to get their affairs in order. Those diagnosed rarely live to see two years pass after diagnosis.

A Fresno, California hotel stands on the cusp of renovation and complete demolition. The hotel is known to have asbestos materials in its construction. City officials of Fresno have given the owner of the hotel until November 21 to show significant progress in renovating the hotel by removing known asbestos building materials from the site. If the owner fails to show sufficient progress, the hotel will be condemned and torn down.

The Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City was recently imploded before a crowd of approximately 100,000 people. Experts now worry that the dust of falling debris associated with the hotel’s destruction might have been contaminated with asbestos, exposing those in attendance to deadly particulate matter.

Asbestos dust and debris has long been associated with the development of mesothelioma disease. Asbestos dust, at the microscope level, resembles a “hooked” or “barbed” thread that, when inhaled, becomes lodged in the pleural lining of the lungs. Over time, the lungs begin to scar and the scarring can result in the formation of tumors. The tumors can then spread to other parts of the body. A general diagnosis of mesothelioma leaves the sufferer with a bleak outlook and a prognosis of approximately 6 to 12 months to live.

The United Kingdom government has unanimously decided that people who have been previously exposed to asbestos, and who now have developed pleural plaques, will no longer be able to sue on the basis of this evidence.

This development has been readily welcomed by insurers who have floundered in recent years from an onslaught of mesothelioma and asbestos exposure-related cases where billions of dollars in restitution has been paid.

The decision outlines the duty for insurers to continue paying out monies to those who have developed mesothelioma-related lung cancers and tumors. However, if the suing party has evidence of pleural damage, but the damage is not consistent with the likelihood that mesothelioma will develop from pleural plaques insurers have been ordered not to pay out restitution monies.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of lung cancer that has been directly linked to occupational exposure of asbestos. Mesothelioma cancer is characterized by scarring of lung tissues that comprise the lining of the chest wall. Once exposed, asbestos particles lodge in the lung tissues of the worker and remain there indefinitely. There is no known way to remove embedded fibers. Asbestos particles resemble a hook or barb and, over time, cause tumors that lead to a mesothelioma diagnosis.

For those who have a history of occupational exposure of asbestos, some may feel that they are in the clear from developing mesothelioma, a rare cancer that is directly linked to asbestos. Even for those who have been symptom-free for decades after their last exposure to asbestos, it has been found that mesothelioma could lay dormant for upwards of 40 years.

The extent of the dangers of asbestos were unknown by employers and employees for many years. It wasn’t until the early 1970s that the link between asbestos and mesothelioma first began to coincide with exposure. Since then, there have been countless lawsuits that aim to collect billions of dollars in restitution for those who have developed mesothelioma cancers.

Earlier this week, doctors, patients, and researchers alike went out of their way to raise awareness about mesothelioma – a deadly form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. National Mesothelioma Awareness Day was started by the Mesothelioma Foundation – an organization that promotes mesothelioma awareness and education.

The goals of National Mesothelioma Awareness Day are to educate people about mesothelioma – a deadly form of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. If left untreated, mesothelioma is almost always deadly. Mesothelioma can remain dormant in a person’s lungs for as many as 40 years. Because of this, many people are unaware of the possible risks in later life caused by exposure to asbestos particles in their youth.

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