Doctors say that developed countries are on the verge of an asbestos disease epidemic. They say that at least 100,000 people (mainly men) will die from mesothelioma (article in the British Medical Journal).
This cancer is caused by inhalating asbestos. It takes about fifty years to develop.
In the UK, 1,800 people get this disease each year. Doctors are saying that (in the UK) these numbers will rocket soon.
During the 1960s to 1970s hundreds of thousands of people were exposed to asbestos (in the Western World). Before the health risks of asbestos became known it was used as an insulator in buildings and industry.
The types of people who are most at risk today are those who worked as plumbers, builders and shipyard workers during that time.
Doctors say that as several schools and hospitals were constructed with asbestos (insulation) teachers and doctors/nurses may also be at risk (even though these are not mentioned, I wonder why they did not include school children).
Add to this list the wives and daughters who washed their husband's/father's overalls (if they were asbestos workers) and we have quite a few people.
In 1983 restrictions in the use of asbestos were introduced in the UK.
Doctors and experts say that the rates of mesothelioma will peak some time in the future. 'The peak of the epidemic is expected in 2015 to 2020 when the death rate is likely to be 2,000 per year in the United Kingdom,' said Professor Tom Treasure of Guy's Hospital in London.
He said other European countries and Australia are facing a similar rise in disease.
The USA (which introduced asbestos restrictions before the UK did) has probably already seen its peak (or is seeing it now).
Doctors should look out for the signs of this disease.
Experts believe there are still about 100,000 people who are alive today who will die from this disease.
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Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to the dust and fiber in other ways. Washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can also put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma.
The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.
Wikipedia
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to the dust and fiber in other ways. Washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can also put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking. Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma.
The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.
Wikipedia
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