Tuesday 27 October 2009

Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is a national organization dedicated to eradicating mesothelioma. It funds the highest-quality research projects with a peer-reviewed research grant program, the only program of its kind among mesothelioma foundations. Three tenets of The Foundation's mission statement for ending mesothelioma suffering are:

*Offer hope and support to patients and families by educating them on the disease, helping them to obtain the most up-to-date information on treatment options and to connect with meso treatment specialists, and providing them assistance, emotional support and community with others.

*Fund the highest quality and most promising meso research projects from around the world through rigorous peer-review.

*Raise awareness of meso, and advocate that the public and private sectors partner in the effort to cure it by directing the resources needed to stop this global tragedy.

Its donors include mesothelioma lawyers, corporations formerly linked to asbestos, and mesothelioma patients and their families/friends. It has been awarded the highest rating--4 stars--from Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator.



Thursday 22 October 2009

Mesothelioma Death Highlights Risk for Sheet Metal Workers

Sheet metal workers are one occupational group that has faced a history of asbestos exposure. In a recent story from Portsmouth England, Betty Williamson’s husband, a past sheet metal worker, passed away from an asbestos-related disease.

Her husband, Tom Williamson, received a mesothelioma diagnosis in October of last year and was informed that he only had a few months to live. The couple initially became concerned after Mr. Williamson developed a bad cough.

Mrs. Williamson believes her husband may have been exposed to asbestos during the 20 years that he worked for a sheet metal business. She said, “I cannot believe what has happened in a year. He was always a healthy person. We had lots of plans for our retirement.”

The Health and Safety Executive plans to launch a new asbestos campaign in November to notify workers about the dangers of asbestos-containing materials.

The use of sheet metal has been a part of several common construction projects, including guttering, siding, roofing and installing ventilation ducts for heating and air conditioning systems. Workers within the sheet metal industry can be exposed to asbestos through shaping and cutting sheet metal, which causes asbestos fibers to become airborne.

The release of asbestos fibers into the air allows for the inhalation of the toxic mineral, the primary method of exposure. Once inhaled, the microscopic fibers that make up asbestos have the potential of becoming lodged within the lining of the lungs, eventually causing pleural mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness.

Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that is difficult to diagnose because symptoms such as a persistent cough can be mistaken for a less serious condition. Former sheet metal workers who suspect they were exposed to asbestos should seek regular checkups for signs of asbestos exposure.

Present workers who handle sheet metal on a regular basis should use all precautions when working with the material. The Environmental Protection Agency claims there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma Risk Increased with Low Exposure to Asbestos

Malignant mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is linked to exposure to asbestos, which is a substance that was once commonly used is a wide range of industries and applications. It has become known that long term and high level exposure to asbestos dust and fibers can lead to a range of serious health problems including this form of cancer.

However, according to a recent report, doctors are now claiming that even relatively low levels of exposure to asbestos can increase the risk of contracting asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma, with the results of the study being published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

A university professor who was involved in the research stated: “Research into the environmental or occupational causes of cancer is difficult to conduct, for various reasons, and there are too few qualified researchers in the entire area of environmental causes of disease.”

He added: “While many people think that there are armies of researchers investigating such questions, in fact there are only a small number throughout the world, for all environmental chemicals combined. Thus, even though asbestos is the most-studied occupational carcinogen, there still remain unanswered questions about how and under what conditions the different forms of asbestos can cause cancer (such as mesothelioma), and whether MMVF is equally dangerous.”

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Mesothelioma Asbestos Cancer

In the 20th century many people have been exposed to asbestos not even knowing it. Asbestos is a fibrous silicate mineral notable for its chemical- and heat-resistance and electricity non-conducting. Asbestos was widely used in industry and everyday life until 1980 when the EU and many other developed countries have banned it.

When swallowed or inhaled asbestos can stay in the human body producing toxic effect which may result in a number of serious diseases, such as asbestosis, Mesothelioma (Mesothelium cancer), lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, colorectal cancer, and other illnesses.

Mesothelioma (also known as "asbestos cancer") is a most common asbestos-related type of cancer. The Mesothelium is a cellular membrane lining certain cavities of the human body. Mesothelioma may develop in lung, abdominal, scrotal, and heart sac cavities, the four types of M. being called Pleural, Peritoneal, Testicular, and Pericardial. In 70 percent of cases Mesothelioma is pleural in origin.

Up to 3000 cases of malignant Mesothelioma are registered in the United States every year.
Mesothelioma is often diagnosed at its later stage because its symptoms usually appear 20 to 50 years after the initial asbestos exposure. Another reason of untimely diagnosis is that the symptoms of Mesothelioma (i.e. chest pain, continual coughing, short breath, fatigue or fever etc) resemble less severe and quite common conditions, such as influenza.

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