CAUSES MESOTHELIOMA?

sbestos is made up of tiny fibres that are extremely strong, but can be woven like cotton. Asbestos is highly resistant to heat and was commonly used in household items and building materials (such as interior and exterior wall sheeting and insulation). You may have had an asbestos mat that you used on your stove top to protect Pyrex coffee pots, or you may have had asbestos-lined gloves and oven mitts.

Asbestos only causes problems when it's cut or disturbed in some way because this releases the tiny fibres that you can breathe in. Once inside the lungs, these fibres can cause inflammation, fibrosis (scarring) and cancer. Asbestos can also be swallowed when the tiny fibres are air borne. Industries at Risk So who can get mesothelioma? Some cases require prolonged and high exposure levels, such as those of people who worked, unprotected, in industries using asbestos prior to 1970. These industries include: · factories · shipyards · mines · military · engineers · pipe fitters · steel workers · auto mechanics · construction How Much Exposure is Dangerous? But other patients received relatively short exposure, sometimes only months or weeks. Cases have been recorded of patients whose only exposure was when changing the brake linings on their cars and breathing the dust. Others had "passive" exposure, such as women who washed their husbands and son's work clothes. The disease can appear 20 years after exposure or as long as 50 years after, and some experts believe that cases will continue to rise until at least 2020. Always seek competent medical advice so your doctor can make an accurate diagnosis. The earlier you're diagnosed, the better your chances. Give your body a boost with the Vitamin Shoppe - Click Here and Save Big on 20,000 products from over 400 brands Peace of Mind To help you and your family through this difficult time, see Dr Ian Gawler's book, PEACE OF MIND. Diagnosed with incurable bone cancer in 1975 and given only months to live, Ian Gawler has been helping other cancer sufferers through his Cancer Support Group since 1981.