Tuesday 25 December 2007

Asbestos - Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer

Asbestos has many appealing qualities for builders. It is strong, flexible and corrosion resistant. It is also burn resistant and a good insulator. There are not many substances with these qualities and may explain why it was so widely used. It becomes hazardous when asbestos containing materials are disturbed or damaged. Asbestos is made up of microscopic bundles of fibers. When the materials become disturbed or damaged, these fibers separate and may become airborne. These fibers may get into the lungs and that may lead to serious and even fatal diseases. Some of these diseases include:

Asbestosis is a non-cancerous lung disease. Inhaling asbestos fibers for an extended period of time causes it. This disease takes twenty five to forty years to develop. As asbestos fibers become trapped in your lungs, the body will produce an acid to try to eliminate these fibers. The continued production of the acid can eventually scar the tissues in your lungs. An excessive amount of scarring may cause the lungs to function improperly. This can lead to serious breathing difficulties. If asbestosis is left untreated, it may cause cardiac failure. At this time, there is no effective treatment for this disease. People who renovate or demolish buildings that contain asbestos have the greatest risk of getting asbestosis. The chances of getting this disease through physical contact with a person who works with asbestos are minimal. People who worked in naval shipyards were the first ones diagnosed with asbestosis.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the pleura (the outer membrane that encloses the lung and chest cavity) and/ or the peritoneum (the membrane lining the walls of the abdominal cavity). In the United States, there are only about 3000 new cases of this disease annually. Exposure to asbestos has been the cause in all of the cases. The exposure in these cases lasted anywhere from fifteen to thirty years. Unlike other forms of cancer, there is only one known cause of mesothelioma. Studies indicate that people who work in areas that contain asbestos, such as mines, mills, factories, or shipyards, or who manufacture and install asbestos installation are at the greatest risk of getting mesothelioma. You are also at risk if you live with a worker exposed to asbestos or near any area containing asbestos. Studies also indicate that younger people are more likely to contract mesothelioma when they inhale asbestos. This is the reason why people are going to great lengths to protect school children from asbestos exposure.

Many cases of lung cancer can also be attributed to asbestos exposure. Lung cancer is actually the leading cause of death among all of the illnesses caused by asbestos exposure. You can aggravate the effects of lung cancer by about fifty percent if you start smoking. People who work in occupations where they are directly involved in the handling of asbestos are at a greater risk of getting lung cancer. Exposure to both asbestos and another carcinogen, such as cigarette smoke, puts you at greater risk of contracting lung cancer than exposure to asbestos alone. There was a study that indicated that exposure to asbestos and smoke makes you ninety times more likely to contract lung cancer than a person who is not exposed to either. Some of the symptoms of lung cancer include coughing, breathing irregularities, chest pains and anemia. It usually takes fifteen to thirty years of exposure to asbestos to contract lung cancer.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Asbestos

How Deadly is Mesothelioma Cancer?

Mesothelioma cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer today, with a mortality rate so high that eight out of ten of those diagnosed pass away within a year of their diagnosis. Today, asbestos is banned in at least 60 countries, so the cancer is most often found in those who worked with asbestos mainly from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Asbestos is the name for the group of six different fibrous minerals, which occur naturally in the environment. It does not dissolve in water nor evaporate, and they have no detectable odor and taste.

It has a tendency to separate in to microscopic size particles that will remain in the air, and easily inhaled. Most people develop the cancer on a job where they inhaled asbestos particle, or have been exposed to dust fibre.

Once asbestos is inhaled, it comes through the respiratory passage. These fibre lodge themselves in the mesothelial cell around the lungs. It can cause direct damage to the lungs traveling to the end of their small passage reaching pleural are surrounding the lungs.

There are many different names of Mesothelioma cancer such as pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial because of the different location of the cancer on the body's internal organ.

Being positive from Mesothelioma cancer need much attention. In common cases, the patient or victim is diagnosed and it was too late to do anything, to save one's life.

A worker must take necessary precautions when dealing with asbestos fibers to minimize some health problems.

Tips to Prevent Mesothelioma cancer:

-Always wear a protected suit before doing your job. Asbestos particles need not to be able to enter inside your suit.

-Bring extra clothes after work. Change your clothes before going home to avoid the possibilities of inhaling it together with your loved ones.

-Always wear a high-quality dust mask inside the facility.

Mesothelioma cancer is particularly difficult to diagnose, as the symptoms do not tend to become evident until the final stages of the disease. A very important characteristic of asbestos cancer is the long delay, or latency period, between exposure and the beginning of the disease.
Ramir Sarmiento has been providing useful tips, guidelines, and other important information with regards to Mesothelioma cancer, Mesothelioma lawyers, lawsuit issues, and many more. You can check out more of his articles and tips at mesothelioma-cancer.topicarea.com

The Three Forms Of Mesothelioma

It seems that every other week there is a new area that is susceptible to Mesothelioma due to unrealized asbestos exposure. Last week it was asbestos fibers in toys. Who knows what it will be next week? In all of this, no one stops to consider that there are three different forms of the disease. As with all versions of cancer, some of the types of Mesothelioma are more severe or deadly than others. The three known types are Pleural, Peritoneal, and Pericardial. Their names basically derive from the area where the cancer is located.

Pleural Mesothelioma is caused by the formation of malignant tumors in the pleura. The pleura are the tissues that line the lungs and the chest cavity. In this form, fluid builds up between the lining or pleura and the lungs. When this happens, patients experience shortness of breath. That common indicator makes sense because if there is excessive fluid in the chest cavity, the lungs cannot expand properly. The shortness of breath is called pleural effusion. The symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma often resemble pneumonia and other less serious afflictions. For this reason it is important to tell a doctor if you have been exposed to asbestos.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma involves tumors and cancer developing in the lining of the abdominal cavity. This version occurs much less frequently than the Pleural variety but is still common enough. The symptoms include weight loss, abdominal swelling and pain, bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, and fever.

The third form of Mesothelioma is Pericardial. This form occurs in the pericardium which is the compartment in the chest that contains the heart and the roots of the major artery and vein systems. The symptoms of the Pericardial form are very similar to those of Pleural Mesothelioma as well as many less serious diseases. The main symptoms of Pericardial Mesothelioma are a constant cough, shortness of breath, chest pains, and palpitations. These same symptoms can show up in conjunction with any range of heart and lung issues.

All three of the forms of Mesothelioma are mainly caused by exposure to asbestos. While it occasionally pops up after no asbestos has been inhaled, the majority of cases (roughly 99%) are linked to exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a fiber that gets into the lungs. It is common in a variety of industries and was a popular fire retardant material used to insulate buildings. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell when one is exposed to asbestos whether or not that same exposure will lead to Mesothelioma. Also, the disease generally takes decades to appear.

Pleural Mesothelioma is by far the most commonly occurring form of the deadly cancer. Like other cancers, Mesothelioma is capable of spreading from its original site to other parts of the body. It is particularly easy for the Pleural and Pericardial forms to spread because of the amount of blood flowing through the areas that they afflict. It only takes a few cells to take root elsewhere for the cancer to spread.

Fortunately, sometimes the infected areas can be removed from the body via surgery. The chemotherapy drugs that are in existence to treat the disease have not been shown to eradicate the problem so much as delay its progress. While this may not sound like a lot, delaying the progression of the disease can improve the quality of life of the patient which is all that can really be asked for in cases that are inoperable. With treatment, the general lifespan after diagnosis is roughly 18 months; however, some people have been known to live for four years. Without treatment, people generally have roughly four months to live.

While OSHA has made great strides in controlling the exposure and use of asbestos, it is still not a perfect system as sometimes people are not aware of a possible risk of exposure or even the presence of asbestos. For this reason, it is important for people that work in industry and construction (particularly those that re-model older buildings) learn all that they can about asbestos and Mesothelioma.
If you or someone you know has been exposed to asbestos or diagnosed with any of the three forms of Mesothelioma, contact the Mesothelioma Lawsuit Attorneys of Williams Kherkher.

www.mesolawsuit.com

Saturday 22 December 2007

Mesothelioma Clinical Trials

What is a clinical trial?

Medical research is rapidly expanding all over the world. For the various conditions and diseases, lots of new medicines and treatments are being invented everyday. These medicines and treatments have to be studied in depth, analyzed and tested. For this purpose, clinical trials are conducted. Clinical trials are performed to study the effectiveness of new drugs and treatment.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a serious life-threatening condition in which the mesothelium cells behave abnormally. Most of the organs of the body like lungs, abdomen, heart and some other parts have a lining called as mesothelium lining. Mesothelioma is caused due to exposure to asbestos fibers or asbestos dust. When a person inhales the asbestos dust or fibers through the nose or mouth, they enter the body and travel throughout the body. After this, they settle in some body organ and travel through it, finally coming in contact with the mesothelium lining. As soon as they touch the mesothelium lining, the mesothelium cells start behaving in an eccentric manner. They start dividing rapidly and start to outlive the other cells. This leads to the formation of tumors in that organ, leading to mesothelioma. The tumors may also spread to other parts of the body.

What are mesothelioma clinical trials?

Mesothelioma is very difficult to diagnose, as the diagnosis procedure is quite complex. Also, the symptoms of mesothelioma, like chest pain, fever, cough, diarrhea and so on are similar to many other benign diseases. Thus, it is often confused with such diseases. Finally, by the time it is correctly found out, the patient is in the last stages of cancer, with only few weeks or days left to live.

A lot of research and analysis is necessary in this disease. A lot more should be done to make the lives of these patients more relaxed and peaceful. To achieve this, lots of researchers are trying to come up with new methods of treatment to help mesothelioma patients. Studies about the effectiveness of these treatments are absolutely necessary and for this reason, mesothelioma clinical trials are conducted.

What is done in a clinical trial?

A clinical trial is performed to study the effectiveness of the new types of treatments invented for mesothelioma. The clinical trial would help to find out the correct amount of dosage, how best to administer the treatment and whether there are any side effects in administering the new medicine or the new method of treatment. Who are the people in the clinical trials?

Many people enlist themselves in mesothelioma clinical trials. These are the people who may be anxious to try out the new medicines or treatments or these may be people who want to help other people like themselves, who suffer from this terrible condition. Various patients of different backgrounds with different stages and types of mesothelioma are required for the clinical trials. Some of them may benefit from the trial while for some the trial may prove risky and adverse.

What should a volunteer know before participating in a clinical trial?

Every person who wants to participate in a clinical trial should first understand that a trial is only an experimental study. It may be beneficial to some and adverse to some. Some volunteers may give a freehand to the medical researchers to offer any type of treatment. Some volunteers may pose restrictions and demand only certain types of treatments. This is the choice of the Volunteer and every person should decide this before opting for the clinical trial. Also, the persons interested in participation should speak to their doctor beforehand and find out all the necessary information about the clinical trial. Participation in a clinical trial should not be whimsical. It should be an informed decision.

The volunteer should also check whether he or she is qualified for the particular clinical trial. A trial requiring a person in the fourth stage of cancer cannot use a patient who is in the first stage of cancer. A trial involving pleural mesothelioma cannot use a person suffering from peritoneal mesothelioma. It is better to inform you here that pleural mesothelioma affects the lungs, peritoneal mesothelioma affects the abdomen and pericardial mesothelioma affects the heart.
The writer is a research expert at a medical research firm. Webmaster http://www.rarehope.com

Choosing a Qualified Mesothelioma Asbestos Lawyer

e best course of action. A good lawyer is one with many years of success recovering millions of dollars in compensation for patients and their families.

An asbestos lawyer is more than capable of litigating a malignant Mesothelioma lawsuit. However, a Mesothelioma lawyer is a specialist in dealing with such litigation.

Now there are many law firms and lawyers specialized in this area, it will make it easier for those affected by Mesothelioma cancer to get the legal action and assistance they need to file. There are an increasing number of attorneys joining to fight against the manufacturer and the field becomes crowded.

It is important to carefully to select someone fully knowledgeable and qualified in Mesothelioma lawsuit. A good lawyer has a good educational background, understand the unique complexity involving litigation, lawsuit, including settlement asbestos product identification, specific asbestos medical issue, and specific time constraint that file a claim.

This means that Mesothelioma lawyer receives high percentage to the victim's recovery if law is successful. A reputable attorney will be glad to provide facts and figures on the pervious cases that they have been handling.

Choosing the Best Asbestos Attorney

1. Have enough knowledge in the lawsuit that provide and teach you about your legal rights.

2. Good educational background

3. Trustworthy

4. Intelligent

5. Industrious

6. Considerable

7. Not expecting in return (for own interest)

8.Sincere

9.Defensive

Having a qualified Asbestos attorney is vital because the success of Mesothelioma settlement depends on the cooperation between a victim and the attorney as well. Keep in mind that the good asbestos attorney has a good foundation for success. Mesothelioma attorney inform their clients regarding their chance on how they come up to become successful litigant.
Ramir Sarmiento has been providing useful tips, guidelines, and other important information with regards to Mesothelioma cancer, choosing Mesothelioma lawyers, treatments, lawsuit issues, and many more. You can check out more of his articles and tips at Mesothelioma Cancer WebSit

Top Three Mesothelioma Treatment Options

Mesothelioma treatment options can be divided into three main options, the first one is the surgery option, the second on is the chemotherapy option and the third one is the radiation options. I should write some word on the diagnosis of mesothelioma cancer, the diagnosis is very hard due to some issues. One of these issues is the fact of the symptoms of mesothelioma take very long time to appear, the second issue is that the symptoms are similar to other non-dangerous disease.

Surgery Option: The first option for doctors to treat this type of cancer, in this method of treatment, doctors have to remove some parts from the affected tissue. These parts may be from pleura "the outer line the surrounds lungs". In some cases, doctor may remove the left or right lung due to the spreading of the cancer.

Chemotherapy option: In this method of treatment, some kinds of drugs will be used to treat the tumors in the body, the patient can take the pills that can travel through out the bloodstream to kill the infected cells. Chemical drugs can be put into the bloodstream bu using a needle to put them directly into the systemic region where bloodstream can carry the chemicals throughout the body.

Radiation Therapy: Radiations can make some effects on the cancer cells, they can kill cancer cells when doctors drop some radiation on the affected parts. Radiations such as Gamma rays and X rays can do the treatment. There are other treatment options but I wrote on the main options to take some information about the dealing with this disease.
By Husseiny Shahin the owner of Mesothelioma Activists Site, you may also visit Mesothelioma Treatment Options Page and Asbestos Cancer Mesothelioma Blog to find more information.

Friday 21 December 2007

What is Mesothelioma

mesothelioma ia a type of cancer that is caused by previous exposure of asbestos. Mesothelioma cancer can develop in the tissues covering the lungs, and the abdomen. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelial cells, therefore receiving it's name mesothelioma. These cells cover the outside surface of our inner body organs. This lining is sometimes called the mesothelium.

The tissue lining the lungs and chest cavity are called the pleura. This is the most common place for the cancer to be. The other places it can develop in is the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).

Asbestos is composed of minerals, it became increasingly popular with manufacturers and builders. Asbestos is used in brake shoes and gaskets for its heat resistance. So the inhalation of asbestos fibers causes serious illnesses which leads to mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma does not usually spread to other parts of the body.

There are also benign (non cancerous) mesothelioma that can develop as well The non cancerous tumours are very rare.




Keywords: mesothelioma, cancer, asbestos, mesothelioma treatments,

Mesothelioma Stages

Several people have asked me to explain how Whole Life Insurance works recently, so I decided to do it in an article so everyone could read it and I could answer everyone's question at the same time. Also, you can always refer back to this article if you ever have any questions. Fair enough? Then let's get started!

Whole Life Insurance is a type of policy that is meant to provide life insurance protection for a person's entire life or until they reach the age of 100 years, whichever comes first. This is a permanent type of life insurance policy, which means that you'll be paying on it for as long as you live, unless you happen to get a specific policy where you can pay it off early, such as a "Paid At 60" policy. These types of policies charge much higher premiums, however you'll only pay on them for a specified period of time and be finished. Anyway, I don't want to get too far off track.

A Whole Life Insurance policy requires that you take a physical exam, in most cases. Before a company is going to provide insurance coverage they're going to want to know if there are any physical ailments that they should be aware of first. Some of these may disqualify you from being covered, such as AIDS, Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes and more.

When you pay into a Whole Life Insurance policy, a portion of your premium payments go toward buying insurance, while the rest goes into a savings account that accrues cash value. This cash value will accumulate and begin to draw interest over time. This will actually build into an asset that you can use as collateral or borrow from. You must repay the loan in order for the entire face value of the policy to be paid out in the event of your death.

Whole Life Insurance isn't as popular as it used to be. Many people are now choosing to buy Term Life instead because they're finding that they don't need to be covered for their whole life, because it's less expensive and because they prefer to invest their money elsewhere. You should get several free life insurance quotes and then talk to an agent to determine which plan is the best choice for you and your family.
You Can Learn More About Whole Life Insurance Options And Even Get Free Life Insurance Quotes Right Now At TheLifeInsuranceGuys.com or by clicking on Whole Life Insurance Explained Rick Stevens Is A Former Life And Health Agent That Now Works Helping Others By Providing Free Information. Visit His Website Today!

What is mesothelioma really? Are there any survivor?


Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer that is rare, where the malignant cells covers the chest, abdominal cavity or the lining around the heart. The symptoms are bowel obstruction, weight loss, anemia, fever, abdominal swelling, and so on. It is said, that in six months since someone gets mesothelioma, he or she dies!

People who get mesothelioma is reported to be mainly caused by inhaling a s b e s t o s (I added spaces to let you know that this is dangerous) involuntary, which is a fire-resistant material that is used in everyday home tools and as a material for building constructions. It is said, that just by inhaling it for a month, in 30 years or more after it, they will get mesothelioma. So the effect cannot be seen quickly.

Because mesothelioma is usually caused by inhaling asbestos, so of course the sick one can sue the company where he was working on if the company was using it in its production. Or, if it is being caused by the use of plates, glasses, or anything that evidently contains it, their producer could be prosecuted also. And it is said that the lawsuit could be millions dollars.

Hope is crucial for victims of mesothelioma because hope gives strength, and fighting an affliction as insidious and pervasive as mesothelioma requires an incredible amount of strength. Many people draw strength from their families, or in their spiritual convictions. As long as those unfortunate victims still have hope, then their struggle against mesothelioma is never in vain.

For patients with mesothelioma, stories about survivor and support groups can be very helpful to both the patient and their loved ones. The health care team and local cancer support organizations are also excellent resources. They should be able to help you find a support group that understands your needs as you begin and go through treatment. Many of the following organizations may be able to help you find a support group in your area.

Hope, faith, love, and support are the most precious things they must have.

Tuesday 18 December 2007

Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma Cancer

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is another type of cancer, the difference between pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma is the place of growing tumors, in the second type the tumors develop on the peritoneum. What is peritoneum? The peritoneum is the outer membrane that surrounds the outer wall of some of internal organs in the abdominal cavity.

How does it develop? The scientists are not know exactly how this type of cancer occur, but the closest prospect that the inhalation of Asbestos is the main reason for this cancer. After the inhalation of asbestos, these materials move from the chest to the abdominal cavity throughout the blood stream.

The above information will take us to the word "Asbestos", what are Asbestos? Asbestos are some types of materials that were used in the past in the construction factories, workers that dealing with these materials are the most people who can develop mesothelioma.

The peritoneal mesothelioma is less common but still very dangerous disease, the symptoms of this disease take very long time to appear "23-50 years", after this very long period the symptoms may be something like abdominal swelling, abdomen pains, general weakness and bowel obstruction "due to the growth of tumors"

The treatment options here can be surgery option , chemotherapy option "by using some drugs" and radiation therapy by using some kinds of radiations like x-rays and gamma rays. The early diagnosis of mesothelioma will help in the treatment war. For anyone who have work in the construction manufacturing companies that were use Asbestos in their products, you must make a check up instantly.
By Husseiny the owner of Mesothelioma Activists, you may also visit Peritoneal Mesothelioma and Malignant Mesothelioma Diagnosis to find more information.

Early Symptoms Of Lung Cancer

Many early symptoms of lung cancer resemble symptoms of other common conditions. Accordingly, a physician will consider any symptoms of lung cancer in the context of a patient's health background - age, smoking history, occupational exposure, and family history, occupational exposure, and family history.

For example, the chance that a symptom is caused in a 25-year old woman who never smoked is very small. By contrast, the same early symptoms of lung cancer in a 65-year-old woman who has smoked two packs of cigarettes per day over the past forty years is likely the result of lung cancer until proven otherwise.

The symptoms of lung cancer may be divided into three main groups. The first group is caused by cancer growing in the lungs. The second group arises when lung cancer grows outside of the lung into nearby parts of the chest. The third group indicates that the cancer has spread beyond the chest and into other parts of the body, a condition known as metastasis.

Early Symptoms Of Lung Cancer

The first symptom is persistent coughing. Lung cancers arise from the cells lining the airways. The nerves lining the airways detect the presence of anything foreign - dust, dirt, blood, or tumor. These nerves stimulate the cough reflex, designed to help the body rid itself of particles and keep the airways clean. If a tumor develops in the large airways, cough may be a prominent symptom. Cough is present in anywhere from 20 to 80 percent of cases diagnosed. Patients with lung cancer who never complain of cough probably have tumors located away from the center of the lung, in the smaller airways, where cough receptors are few.

The second and third early symptoms of lung cancer are coughing up blood and wheezing. If the surface of a tumor bleeds, the patient may cough up blood-tinged mucous. These serious symptoms should be evaluated immediately. Also, a tumor may result in wheezing, the sound produced when air tries to pass through a partially blocked airway in the lung. Remember, a tumor will produce localized wheezing best heard on the side of the chest where the tumor is located.
Check out Lung Cancer Treatment to learn more about how to treat early symptoms of lung cancer.

Treatment of Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a very dangerous type of cancer that can develop in the human body especially in the chest part. Not in the whole chest but in some specific regions like pleural cavity which has the function of allowing lungs to move during the process of breathing.

The pleura is divided to two membranes, the first which surround the lungs, the second membran which surrounds the internal wall of chest. When the mesothelioma develops in this part, tumors will be observed after 30 to 50 years, which make the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma is very difficult

The treatment options of can be on of the following methods, the first method and in the same time it is the most effective method for treating mesothelioma cancer is the surgery option. Here surgeon will make a test by cutting a small part from the pleural tissue to discover if there any abnormal thing. Then surgeon will make a decision, first decision is to remove another larger part from the pleura and some parts of surrounded tissue. The second decision in the dangerous cases is to remove larger part and in some cases surgeon may remove one of the two lungs.

The chemotherapy option is another effective method to kill the cancer cells, by using a very special chemical materials which have the ability to spread throughout the body. This option may be combined with the surgery option.

The radiotherapy is another perfect option which can also kill the cancer cells and to have good results may be combined with the other two option.
By Husseiny Shahin the owner of Mesothelioma Activists Site, you may also visit Mesothelioma Treatment Options Page and Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma for more information.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Mesothelioma

After you hear the words cancer, its seems like no matter what the doctor is saying your probably not listening because all you can think about is cancer. All of the information can be overwhelming and scary. So you want to make sure that you take someone else with you. You don't want to have to absorb all that information yourself because you will probably miss some things that the doctors will be saying.

After you initial visit it is best to go home and write down questions you might have for your doctor. Everyone forgets questions when you're sitting there talking to the doctor and then remember it when you get home again.

Here are some of the questions you should ask concerning mesothelioma and the treatment that goes along with it. Your case is going to be different from another person with the same cancer.

-So ask what the recommended treatment is
-How often do you have to have treatments?
-What kind of side effects are you going to have?
-What are the benefits vs the risks of the treatment?
-Are there different treatment choices?
-Is there anything that you're missing or forgetting to ask?
-Is there anything I can read about this?

Make sure when the doctor is explaining details to you, that if you don't understand you speak up. This is your body and you need to be fully aware of what's going on or you're going to be more uneasy then you already are.

The internet is a great source for information. All you have to do is type in Mesothelioma and tons of information and sites become available to you. So don't hesitate to start reading everything you can. The more information and knowledge you have the more questions you can ask. This will make you feel a little better knowing you have an idea of whats going on.

The Dangers Of Asbestos - Understanding Mesothelioma

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer affecting the pleura, membranes that encase the lungs. Like many cancers, it can result in suffering and restricted quality of life - but what makes this disease unique is that it only occurs in people exposed to asbestos. While you might think the dangers of asbestos are long gone, mesothelioma can strike people who were exposed as many as 60 years ago. Workers in factories or shipyards during the 1940s may be just now developing symptoms, long after they thought themselves safe.

There is no cure for mesothelioma, and as the disease progresses, breathing, sleeping and eating become more difficult - making it hard for the victim to participatate in daily activities. There are treatments to help contain the disease and reduce the pain associated with it. Chemotherapy, radiation and radical surgery to remove the lung and/or pleura are among the options currently available.

Could Mesothelioma have been prevented?

Mesothelioma is a particularly cruel cancer because it was entirely preventable. Many companies that manufactured asbestos-containing products were aware of the hazards of asbestos as early as the 1920s. Alternative fibers were available, but asbestos was cheap. So corporations chose to use it in products from the 1920s through the 1980s, until most of these products were banned in the United States and abroad. Manufacturers did not begin to warn workers exposed to asbestos the mid-1960s and even then, it took two more decades before the dangers became sufficiently broadcast to bring about legislation prohibiting its use. As a result, many Americans have contracted asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, a scarring of the lung or pleural tissue.

Are there any legal options for someone diagnosed with Mesothelioma?

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you have the right to file a claim against the manufacturers, sellers, and installers of asbestos products. A lawsuit won't give you back your health, but it will help ensure you can afford good medical care, keep your family from suffering financially as a result of your illness, and hold the companies who chose to use this deadly fiber accountable.

What if I don't remember exactly what products I worked with?

Because mesothelioma can strike so many years after exposure, recalling details about the asbestos exposure can be a real problem for many victims. However, if you work with a law firm experienced in asbestos litigation, they can often perform extensive investigations of past work sites and products. Legal claims associated with this disease are complex, in many cases because they deal with events dating back several decades -- but attorneys who are familiar with mesothelioma lawsuits understand how to evaluate your case and track down the important details.

Jurors who have participated in mesothelioma cases are often outraged when they learn how companies continued to use asbestos long after its dangers were known -- while victims and their families struggle daily with the legacy of corporate carelessness.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, your first step should be to contact an attorney with experience in asbestos litigation. There are limits on the time in which you can file, so immediate action is important to secure compensation.
www.Mesotheliomahelp.net

Mesotheliomahelp.net is a website dedicated to providing mesothelioma patients, their families and medical providers with resources about the care and management of this disease.

For more information about mesothelioma, please visit the website at http://www.mesotheliomahelp.net

Signs and Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Symptoms of mesothelioma does not always appear right away. It can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years after the exposure to surface. Shortness of breath, pain in the chest and coughing due to fluid in the pleural space (in between the two pleural membranes)are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma(serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity) include:
weight loss
cachexia (which is fatigue)
abdominal swellin and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity

Other symptoms may include:
bowel obstruction
anemia
bowel obstruction
fever

These symptoms will may occur if the cancer spreads to other parts of you body. May also include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

The Affects of Mesothelioma in the Pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:
chest wall pain
shortness of breath
blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up
fatigue
wheezing
coughing

In more advanced cases when a person has many tumor masses, the individual could end up with a collapsed lung. Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity don't cause symptoms until a later stage.

Symptoms can be:
a mass in the abdomen
problems with bowel function
weight loss
abdominal pain
abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen

In severe cases symptoms can be:
blood clots in veins
jaundice
low blood sugar level
pleural effusion
bleeding in may organs
For more information on Mesothelioma please check out http://www.mesotheliomadiagnosisandinformation.blogspot.com

Included on this website is some links to the top website available for information on Mesothelioma.

Women And Mesothelioma

Among the people who are stricken by mesothelioma, the ratio of men to women is three-to-one. In fact, when the words "mesothelioma victim" are uttered, the image that arises is that of a 60-something white male who worked with asbestos in some form years ago perhaps in the Navy, or in the construction or shipbuilding industries.

Women Exposed by Loved Ones

Although it's true that most of the thousands of people diagnosed with mesothelioma every year are men, public health officials have begun to recognize another population victimized by asbestos exposure: the women whose husbands, fathers or brothers brought the asbestos dust home with them every day. It's becoming apparent that many women have already died from cancer that is only now suspected to have been mesothelioma.

Missed Diagnoses?

Mesothelioma is not easy to diagnose, and many physicians do not know how to identify the disease. Over the past few decades, both men and women have died from unidentified respiratory and other cancers that may well have been mesothelioma. The cases of mesothelioma among women in particular may have been missed, in part because they usually didn't have jobs that exposed them directly to asbestos.

However, plenty of people who were children in the 1940s and 1950s have memories of their mothers regularly washing their husbands' work clothes separately because of the clouds of sparkly asbestos dust that would be shaken from the clothes. Some of those mothers died years ago (or not so long ago) from an undiagnosed cancer. Was it mesothelioma?

Little Is Currently Known

The U.S. government only started tracking mesothelioma cases in 1999 and the number and type of cases due to secondhand asbestos exposure is still largely unknown.

As thoracic oncologist Dr. Pasi Janne of Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute stated recently, "We know the secondary victims of asbestos are out there...we don't know how many there are, and we don't know yet if they're mostly women."
www.asbestosnews.com

Diagnosis Of Mesothelioma

The diagnosis of mesothelioma is not always an easy task for doctors and researchers. This is due to the numerous symptoms of mesothelioma which are evidences of the presence of other diseases and the latency between the period of contraption and showing of symptoms. Hence it is always important to check the medical file of a patient when diagnosing.

In most cases mesothelioma is usually in its matured stage which makes it a little bit hard for much to be known. A diagnosis of mesothelioma is obtained firstly, through the assessment of the patient's medical file, a CT scan (computerized technology) or CAT (computerized axial tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and a biopsy. The CT helps to take internal pictures of the internal organs of the body while the MRI allows getting perfect detailed images of the inner body are through a powerful magnet linked to computer. The scans are followed by a biopsy which is used to confirm the presence of mesothelioma.

To perform biopsy, a close examination is made on the fluids surrounding the lungs, when present, by an oncologist. This might not be sufficient, so, a small cut might be made to remove a tissue from the patient with a hollow needle which is inserted into the patient's chest cavity to run biopsy on. This process is known as thorascopy. This is altogether known as open pleural biopsy. The process is known as peritoneoscopy if the tissues are taken from the abdominal cavity. The disease is declared localized if the cancer is found on the surface of the membrane, but it will be advanced if it has spread to other parts of the body.

The early detection of mesothelioma depends on the patients' awareness of its presence. Diagnosis of mesothelioma is always poor due to the fact that it is rare, the non specific nature of its symptoms, and the time lag between asbestos exposure and a patient's symptomatic response, could take 50 years. Despite all this frictions, there are many available procedures for the diagnoses of mesothelioma.

You can visit www.mesotheliomalaunch.blogspot.com to know more about mesothelioma.
Daniel is an internet business enterpreneur who specialises in fields that are related to humanities. He researches in this particular area to provide useful information and how to cope with mesothelioma plus the health hazards involved. You can visit http://www.mesotheliomalaunch.blogspot.com to check more of his works.

Diesel Smoke Is Biggest Issue In Firehouse Safety

Even a hundred years before Rudolf Diesel invented his engine in the 1890s, hydrocarbon soot was already known to be a danger in the workplace। Soot is the very first chemical substance ever identified as an occupational health hazard, being linked to diseases among chimney sweeps in London in 1775.

In America two centuries later, it's time to come to grips with the liability faced by fire departments that fail to take heroic measures to protect employee health।

Diesel smoke has been listed as a cancer-causing chemical by the state of California since 1990। It is a combination of chemicals which vary somewhat, depending on engine characteristics and fuel quality. All diesel smoke contains an array of substances, each by itself scientifically linked to cancer - arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, nickel, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Those toxic ingredients bind to the surface of microscopic particulate soot.

Numerous human studies demonstrate diesel exhaust exposure increases cancer risk. In fact, long term exposure to diesel exhaust particles poses the highest cancer risk of any toxic air contaminant evaluated by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
Diesel engine fire trucks first appeared in the mid-1950s। Today, diesel power drives virtually all fire apparatus and emergency vehicles. Right from their introduction, the smoke that diesel apparatus emitted was regarded as unhealthy. At many firehouses some sort of tailpipe hose was jury-rigged to vent exhaust fumes outside through a window or under the door.

Nowadays - in addition to using the best available grade of fuel, minimizing running times, ventilating the building, exchanging fresh air, and keeping sealed doorways between garage and living quarters - there are limited ways of coping with the health risk of diesel smoke by building modifications in combination with aftermarket parts for fire apparatus।

Fans and filter cabinets remove airborne contaminants and help keep building surfaces clean, but since they do not prevent the release of particulates into the workplace atmosphere, they are janitorial equipment with no preventive health benefit।

Garage drop hoses and on-board diesel particulate filters are the two methods most often used to mitigate the hazard of diesel smoke in fire stations। Drop hoses are traditional and have some benefit, but you need to rethink whether drop hoses come even close to being adequate in light of today's environmental fervor.

Hoses require manual connection। Even brief exposure offsets air quality gains from a parked truck connected to a hanging hose.

Hoses are sometimes called capture systems, which is a misnomer। Hoses do not capture contaminants; hoses blow raw exhaust outdoors. Diesel soot is microscopic with a long airborne residency. Particles blown outside by a hose duct re-enter the building through doors which have to be open to allow the trucks in and out. This is called the canyon effect.

You'll never live to see the day a firefighter walks behind the wheels to try attaching exhaust hose to a moving truck। Hoses are not attached when a truck is entering the bay, nor do they stay attached when the truck goes out the door. Therefore, a hose system is not very effective at all.So then, beyond drop hose, what can a fire department do to ensure that its personnel are provided with the best available health protection? One study by a private advocacy group, the R.I.C.H.T.E.R. Foundation, which is dedicated to diesel exhaust safety issues, concluded, "The most efficient and cost effective way to reduce emissions is to install diesel particulate filters in all diesel trucks and equipment used in fire stations."

The California Air Resources Board is at the forefront of pollution control in the United States, and sets the standards by which local governments gauge compliance। CARB lists some diesel particulate filters as acceptable for emission reduction as aftermarket parts. No drop hose systems are listed because they are not considered pollution control devices.

On-board exhaust filters are not exactly a new idea। The first patent appeared back in 1908 when truck wheels had wooden spokes. In 1949 the U.S. Army invented the earliest version of the modern diesel exhaust filtration system.

In 1985 General Motors developed the monolithic ceramic honeycomb filter। Initial trials on high-end diesel Mercedes automobiles in the 1990s found the filters captured 99 percent of emissions. But back then, using available-grade diesel fuels, the filter captured so much soot so quickly that it had to be changed too frequently. Those experiments were abandoned, and the technology went more or less dormant.

With the coming of computerized engine ignition and ultra low-sulfur fuel, diesel particulate filters are much in vogue today।

The efficiency of the diesel particulate filter also poses its limitation. Filters clog. The rate at which they fill to capacity depends on fuel quality, the age and condition of the engine, and driving habits. Accumulation means periodic cleaning. As soot packs the filter channels, counter-pressure is created, which bogs down the engine. A close cousin of the diesel filter, in effect and principle, is the diesel exhaust brake, used on many heavy-duty trucks and buses.
A muffler is a silencer and also a spark arrestor। With a catalytic coating, it may be an oxidizer. Or used as a pre-filter.

Several manufacturers of diesel emissions systems use diesel particulate filters for over-the-road and off-road vehicles, including Englehard, Lubrizol, and Johnson Matthey. Those systems are, generally-speaking, complex and maintenance intensive. They impede horsepower through the "jake brake" effect, and all of them absolutely require burning ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.
Most of our national awareness of environmental controversies originated on the West Coast, including pollution trade credits and the use of ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel। Current litigation foretells a brewing national movement that can have a crippling impact on fire departments large and small.

An open undecided lawsuit in California filed in May 2006 pits plaintiff Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) against Laidlaw Transit Services। The environmental activist organization demands school buses carry warning labels on all their buses, an extension of the way tobacco companies are required to label cigarettes.

The ELF lawsuit lays the groundwork for a flood of future big dollar claims related to occupational diesel smoke exposure। Plaintiffs argue that under health and safety laws, people have a right to be informed about exposure to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.

Health risks of diesel smoke are very real. The only sensible way to cope with diesel pollution in the workplace is to implement proactive steps that demonstrate the fire department is doing all that it can to ensure a safer workplace. Fleets must be converted eventually to new less-polluting fire apparatus as it comes to market. Short term, fire departments must retrofit existing apparatus with listed aftermarket pollution-control devices exhibiting the best technology.

Mesothelioma Research

No matter what type of cancer you have or disease you always want to know that doctors are working on finding a cure.
For Mesothelioma like many other cancers still have no cure.
However doctors are still continuing to find new treatments and hopefully one day a cure.
The downfall with mesothelioma is so many people are diagnosed to late, and unfortunatly is in advanced stages।

Because there has been such an up rise in the disease doctors are starting to take more notice in the cancer।

More researchers are on board now and looking for better treatments and hopefully a cure.
All newly developed drugs are tested in clinics by people who already have mesothelioma। Of course the sucess of these drugs are found out in these clinics. If they are sucessful they will be approved by the FDA and marketed, or thrown away and have to start all over again.

Chemotherapy is still the most popular treatment for cancer. It is used to relieve symptoms of mesothelioma and to make the patient feel more comfortable.
They are making progress with chemotherapy vs the cancer but still not a cure। The newest drug is Alimta,when used with another long-used chemo drug called Cisplatin, this is the only FDA approved agent specifically used to fight malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Another drug waiting to be approved by the FDA is called Onconase. Its the first drug in its class that has been shown to target cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone.
There are usually 3 different phases to a clinical trial.
Phase 1-usually they enroll a small group of people and test them on how the new drug is going to react and be administered।

Phase 2-trials usually give early information whether or not a new drug will work. It also provides information about safety and benefits.
Phase 3-they compare the new drugs with the current treatment. Usually people from all over participate in this phase. They will receive the new treatment or the standard treatment.
It's up to you whether you want to participate in a clinical trial। Not everyone is up for being experimented on.

There will always be side effect that are not aware of yet, but the doctors are always there.Not everybody is going to be eligible to participate in a study, but if you're interested in finding out more information please call toll-free 1-877-FOR-MESO (367-6376)
Also if your interested in seeing all the current clinical trials available please check it out at my website- http://www.mesotheliomadiagnosisandinformation.blogspot.com/
It will be under favorite links on the right side of the page।

Rebecca please check out http://www.mesotheliomadiagnosisandinformation.blogspot.com/

Mesothelioma Cancer - The War Against Asbestos

About 2,000 new cases of Mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year। This numbers of cases are growing at exponential sizes because of the big Asbestos exposure that the citizens have in our days. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. With the cases growing exponential the requirements of trustful information are huge.

This rare form of cancer (malignancy) that most frequently arises from the cells lining the sacs of the chest (the pleura) or the abdomen (the peritoneum)। Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:chest wall painpleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung shortness of breath fatigue or anemia wheezing, hoarseness, or cough blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up. The disease is described as localized if the cancer is found only on the membrane surface where it originated.

The development of the cancer in rats has been demonstrated following intra-pleural inoculation of phosphorylated chrysotile fibres। The disease occurs more often in men than in women and risk increases with age, but this disease can appear in either men or women at any age is not contagious and cannot be passed from one person to another. Symptoms include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever.

Most people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos। Others have been exposed to asbestos in a household environment, often without knowing it. An exposure of as little as one or two months can result in mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later. People exposed in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s are now being diagnosed with the disease because of the long latency period of asbestos disease. Since epidemiologic studies have shown that more that 80% of mesotheliomas may be associated with asbestos exposure, documented cases in a worker with occupational exposure to asbestos may be compensable in many parts of America.

In contrast to lung cancers, these tumors don not appear to be associated with smoking। Relatively short-term asbestos exposures of 1to 2 years or less occurring some 20 to 25 years in the past have been associated with the development of mesotheliomas (an observation that emphasizes the importance of obtaining a complete environmental exposure history). Some Statistics say's that the risk for this type of tumor peaks 30 to 35 years after initial exposure. Since maximum exposure took place in the United States between 1930 and 1960, peak incidence of disease in men occurred in 1997, with a total of 2300 cases. Incidence is expected to decline over the next 30 years to about 500 cases per year. However with the terrorist attacks of 2001 in New York and Washington, hundreds of people were exposed to asbestos, when the buildings collapsed and the asbestos dust was were expanded in the environment. With this in mind the real cases can increase in the next years.

The information it's an important active. To be informed about mesothelioma and other cancer related topics could be useful in terms of prevention. Be an active reader, it's a great investment to your health.The Mesothelioma Review its an informational site that provides valuable information about the mesothelioma cancer and other health topics. Please visit The Mesothelioma Review at http://www.themesotheliomareview.com/