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Asbestos: Cause Of Deadly Mesotheliomaby: Kirsten Hawkins A View of Mesothelioma Asbestos is the commercial name given to certain types of fibrous materials. They are silicates of varying compositions; the silica combined with such bases as Magnesium, Iron, Calcium, sodium and Aluminum. Asbestos fibers are usually from 20 to 500 in length and 0.5 to 50 in diameter. Asbestos bodies appear as golden brown or beaded rods with a translucent center. The fibers are insoluble. The exposure of asbestos causes fibers to be inhaled and fine dust deposited in the alveoli inside the lungs consequently causing a type of cancer called Mesothelioma (a deadly tumor) involving Mesothelial tissues or usually cells of lungs or stomach and abdominal organs. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer of the Pleura (lung cancer) and Peritoneum (abdomen cancer). Mesothelioma has been shown to have a strong association with the crocidolite variety of asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma, the most common manifestation of asbestos exposure, is well-circumscribed plaques of dense collagen, often containing calcium. Peritoneum Mesothelioma may or may not contain asbestos bodies and rarely do they occur in persons who have no history or evidence of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma not only occurs in people who are exposed the asbestos, but also to them who had been living in vicinity to asbestos manufacturing process or those staying in asbestos contaminated buildings. In Great Britain, an association was reported between Mesothelioma and people living within 1 kilometer of an asbestos factory. The risk of Mesothelioma is reported to be high in those cases where occupational exposure to asbestos is combined with cigarette smoking. Mesothelioma usually does not appear until after 5 to 10 years of exposure. Mesothelioma causes mechanical irritation and in the advanced cases, there may be symptoms of clubbing of fingers, and cardiac distress. The survival time of Mesothelioma patients is generally ranges from 12 months to 2 years of diagnosis and very few survive longer than 2 years. The following measures can be useful in preventing occurrences of Mesothelioma: • Use of safer types of asbestos (chrysolite and amosite) • Substitution of other insulators such as glass fiber, mineral wool, calcium silicate plastic foams • Rigorous dust control • Periodic examination of workers such as biological monitoring (clinical, X-ray, lung function) The government should take adequate steps and make appropriate legislation to stop or minimize the case of asbestos exposure Mesothelioma. If you or any one of your families or friends is suffering from Mesothelioma, you have the legal right to file lawsuits for getting compensation for the medical facilities, loss of income and pain. You can consult a qualified attorney for filing a Mesothelioma lawsuit for comensation. Latest Cancer News:Taking Aim at Brain Cancer (Forbes) Smarter matching of drugs to patients is likely to improve on the lukewarm results seen so far with targeted cancer therapies. Hot dogs cast as villain in cancer group's ad (USA Today) A new TV commercial shows kids eating hot dogs in a school cafeteria and one little boy's haunting lament: "I was dumbfounded when the doctor told me I have late-stage colon cancer." Stress may raise breast cancer risk in young women (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Young women who experience more than one stressful life event are at greater risk of developing breast cancer, but a general feeling of happiness and optimism may help guard against the disease, Israeli researchers report. Normal Cells May Predict Cancer Virulence (HealthDay via Yahoo! News) THURSDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Characteristics of normal cells which are present long before any tumor appears may determine how virulent a particular cancer is going to be, new research suggests. Cervical cancer advances give hope to poor (Reuters via Yahoo! News) New screening tests and effective vaccines from Merck & Co and GlaxoSmithKline make tackling cervical cancer in poor countries a real possibility for the first time, researchers said on Thursday. Correction: Hot Dogs-Cancer story (AP via Yahoo! News) In an Aug. 26 story about a new TV ad linking hot dogs with cancer, The Associated Press, relying on figures provided by a nutrition adviser to the American Institute for Cancer Research, erroneously reported average risks for colon cancer and how eating hot dogs affects those risks. Karen Collins said she misstated the average adult's lifetime risk for getting colorectal cancer, which is about ... Cancer spread 'happens earlier' (BBC News) Apparently "normal" cells may carry cancer to new sites long before a tumour develops, scientists say. Cervical Cancer Rate May Fall in Poor Nations With Tests, Shots (Bloomberg.com) Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- New screening methods and immunization shots are making it possible to control the number of cervical cancer cases in developing countries for the first time, researchers said in a Vaccine medical journal report. E! Standing Up To Cancer Too (Broadcasting and Cable) Entertainment network joins ABC, CBS and NBC in broadcasting 'Stand Up To Cancer' special. Mun2, E! Step Up to ?Stand Up to Cancer? (TV Week) Mun2 and E! Entertainment Television are joining other networks in airing the charity special ?Stand Up to Cancer? on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ? Stand Up to Cancer ,? put together by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, will air live simultaneously on ABC, CBS and NBC and will feature appearances by several celebrities and performers in an effort to raise funds for cancer research. Correction: Hot Dogs-Cancer story - The Associated Press
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