Mesothelioma Cancer Information Article

Malignant tumor of the mesothelium caused by exposure to asbestos fibers.

Mesothelioma and the Asbestos Time Bomb
By Michael Jozefiak
Why we need Mesothelioma Lawyers.
The one-time friend turned killer that was once such an indispensible, yet unnoticed, part of our daily lives for so many centuries, is now a feared enemy. It is Asbestos (from the Greek for 'inextinguishable') and is the reason behind thousands of global compensation claims, through lawyers, against employers, manufacturers and processors of asbestos-related products.
Anyone suspecting they may be suffering as a result of exposure to asbestos, would be well advised to seek the services of specialist lawyers, whose experience with industrial diseases can be of great help in reducing the anxiety and uncertainty people may face taking confirmed cases through the sometimes long process of of legal compensation.

Many asbestos workers, and those unwitingly exposed to asbestos, have been given a diagnosis for which there is no cure, maybe just a little temporary relief, until the inevitable distressing death a few months or a year or two after the first symptoms of are noticed. This is why it is important for suspected sufferers to contact lawyers as soon they realise there may have been exposure to asbestos fibres or dust, over no matter how short a period.

Mesothelioma is a time bomb because less than a day's exposure to asbestos dust can be enough to produce mesothelioma, some 30-40 years later, when symptoms are first noticed. Though most victims are men, because mainly they worked in those industries, sometimes their wives and family too are innocent sufferers from this disease, inhaling the asbestos dust shaken from their husband's/fathers' clothing, or hair, at the end of the working day.

Whether the fault lies with manufacturers & employers (assuming they knew of the dangers) or the employees (did everyone diligently use respirator equipment and protective clothing, if it was supplied?), is something for the lawyers, insurance companies and courts to thrash out.

Meanwhile, asbestosis & victims are dying a painful and inexorable death, before their cases can even come to court or a settlement is reached. As there is no cure for or asbestosis, all that can be done is to make the sufferer's plight as comfortable as possible, before death finally brings merciful relief.

Although various governments have introduced, albeit belatedly, anti-asbestos legislation, lawyers sometimes find that in some cases the time limit for claiming compensation is unrealistically short, given
the long time (30-40 years) before symptoms are first noticed. Many victims are dying before they get a court verdict, or even before they get to court. Unlike its Greek derivation, Mesothelioma and asbestosis victims are not inextinguishable.

The History of Asbestos.

It is probably not generally known that asbestos has been around since 4000 BC, when it was used in lamp wicks and candles. Interestingly, it was also used in the cloth wrapping of Egyptian mummies. Maybe this is the real origin of 'The Curse of The Mummy' stories; grave robbers, and maybe Egyptologists, could expect to get their just desserts! Clothing made from asbestos was highly prized in ancient times to wrap the bodies of Kings, so that their ashes would not mix with the earth or other contaminants during cremation, and it is said the Romans simply threw their asbestos napkins into a fire to cleanse and purify them.

The fact that asbestos workers developed respiratory illnesses, and died young, was known as far back as Roman times when Pliny the Elder commented that asbestos workers seemed to have many health problems, advising against buying asbestos-workings slaves as they "died young". Obviously, there were no lawyers around then! The deleterious effects of asbestos, in modern industrial times, have been recorded as far back as the start of the 18th Century but little notice was paid by factory owners & Governments to the plight of asbestos workers - labour was cheap and life even cheaper; nothing should stand in the way of the sacred cows of Industrial Progress and the profits of industrialists and politicians.

That it took until the 1970s before more stricter legislation to restrict its use and safeguarded workers was drawn up, is scandalous. A charitable reason for this inertia might be that asbestos had become so widely used in almost every aspect of our everyday lives, delivering such tremendous benefits, that there was great reluctance to finally admit that something so useful, could also be so deadly. People who have expounded the virtues of, and made a lot of money out of, asbestos are hardly likely to suddenly throw up their hands and admit to being wrong. The alternative, less charitable, explanation can only be that greed and profit were more important than employees' health.
Deja vu?

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Mesothelioma - The Asbestos Time Bomb.

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Mesothelioma - Asbestos Cancer & Litigation Information updated Thu Apr 5 2007 8:44 pm CDT Mesothelioma is one of the deadliest diseases known to man; the average life span of an inflicted person from the time of diagnosis until death is less than 24 months. Mesothelioma is a disease that is almost 100% preventable; the only known cause is via exposure to the deadly mineral Asbestos. It comes from inhaling the particles of dust as the asbestos degrades; eating away at the lining of your lungs and developing into a deadly cancer. This lens is designed to both provide information on the terrible disease, and also make sufferers and their families aware of their legal options. Many employers and the manufacturers of asbestos knew about the dangers when they exposed employees to this material. Large asbestos cancer settlements, while little comfort to those affected, have become increasingly common in the last few years. Additional Related Resources
I Don't Need A Mesothelioma Lawyer Yet By Mike 0'Brien With the staggering increase in the number of mesothelioma cases, it's a wonder that more was not done earlier. Asbestos in poor working conditions is something that has been around for decades, but Read more...	Treatment For Mesothelioma By Chris Jack Mesothelioma is a kind of permanent cancer disease. Mesothelioma cancer occurs when tissues of our lungs or abdominal components get affected. In more cases asbestos exposure was identified as the Read more...	Mesothelioma and the Asbestos Time Bomb By Michael Jozefiak Why we need Mesothelioma Lawyers. The one-time friend turned killer that was once such an indispensible, yet unnoticed, part of our daily lives for so many centuries, is now Read more...	Mesothelioma and the Asbestos Time Bomb By Michael Jozefiak Why we need Mesothelioma Lawyers. The one-time friend turned killer that was once such an indispensible, yet unnoticed, part of our daily lives for so many centuries, is now Read more...

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What is the mesothelium?
The mesothelium is a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs (such as the beating heart and the expanding and contracting lungs) to glide easily against adjacent structures. The mesothelium has different names, depending on its location in the body. The peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity. The pleura is the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity. The pericardium covers and protects the heart. The mesothelial tissue surrounding the male internal reproductive organs is called the tunica vaginalis testis. The tunica serosa uteri covers the internal reproductive organs in women.
What is mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium) is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and divide without control or order. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also metastasize (spread) from their original site to other parts of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma begin in the pleura or peritoneum.
How common is mesothelioma?
Although reported incidence rates have increased in the past 20 years, mesothelioma is still a relatively rare cancer. About 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma 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.