Great Mesothelioma Guide

Three deadly diseases that affect the Asbestos plant workers

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:45:15 +0000

Asbestos a fibrous mineral found in nature in metamorphic form. Many workers are employed in digging asbestos from the rocks. This causes more risks to those workers as it is very hazardous. The three deadly diseases that affect the workers are lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.

Let us see all these three diseases in detail.

Mesothelioma:

This develops a kind of tumor around the abdominal or chest cavity and multiplies to various regions inside the human body. As it extends to other regions it is very hazardous and it is very risky one because the tumors developing inside are hard to find at the initial stage. Hence this is considered to be one of the deadliest diseases.

Asbestosis:

This is very common among people working in asbestos plant as they have more chances to inhale tiny pieces of asbestos fibers. This asbestos fiber causes irritation and inflammation in lungs. This is not the malignant disease at its initial stage but if not cured at its initial stage it will lead to some other disease and becomes deadliest. As there in no cure for this disease.

Lung Cancer:

This is the deadliest disease caused because of continuous exposure to asbestos. This causes the lungs to expand and transform in to another shape and leads to some other problems.

Is Asbestos Dangerous to health?

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:55:06 +0000

Asbestos extracted from a dense rock can be easily separated into fine fibers. This is used in building blocks as a main ingredient for various materials because of its high resistance to temperature, chemical inertness and strength. Even though the asbestos has varying uses it causes some serious health hazards.

Nearly 1.3 millions are exposed to asbestos in the construction company as well as in the products manufacturing using asbestos. The workers are in expose to asbestos during any demolition or renovation where the asbestos products are more in number.

This disease is more common among people working in asbestos all the time so people working in that atmosphere for one time or less frequent time don’t need to worry about the same. These fibers are very fine hence it is possible for that to suspend easily in air.

Since the hazards are very serious the asbestos regulations are planned to reduce their use and at the same time its use in manufacturing of other products. Continuous exposure to the fine asbestos fibers causes pneumoconiosis also called as asbestosis. This cause damages to lungs and it also makes the breathing very difficult as the stiffness in the lungs increases. All these shows that this is very dangerous to health as it lead to some kind of cancer.

University apartments to undergo asbestos removal, renovations

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:31:42 +0000

Nacogdoches, Texas – January 3, 2010

In Nacogdoches, Texas, students attending Stephen F. Austin State University are getting ready to say their final goodbyes to a complex that has housed many students over the years. The Garner Apartments will soon be demolished, as soon as asbestos abatement has been completed.

The 14-story dormitory is scheduled be demolished after the end of the fall semester, and all students are required to be moved out by December 19th. Once the residence is demolished, the land will become home to a new student residence hall, as well as a new parking garage.

Asbestos abatement will begin immediately after the last students have left. Asbestos must be removed from the site before demolition can begin in order to keep the material from becoming pulverized or airborne. If asbestos is accidentally inhaled or ingested, the results can be deadly.

Asbestos exposure has been scientifically linked to the development of mesothelioma, in numerous studies. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that has no known cure. Tragically, most mesothelioma patients lose their battle with this form of cancer in less than 24 months.

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” said one student. “It’s nice to have something new, but it’s kind of sad to see (Garner) go, because it’s the tallest building in Nacogdoches.”

The Garner Apartments were built in 1969, and were named for a former history and political science professor at SFA. The Garner was home to 266 residents, but the planned freshman dorms that will be erected on the site will house 400.

[Via-Mesothelioma.com]

Mesothelioma-causing asbestos to be removed from abandoned city property

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:52:11 +0000

Moundsville, West Virginia – January 4, 2010

In Moundsville, West Virginia, the former Fostoria property is finally showing signs of life after two decades of sitting vacant.

“It hurt our economy when we lost the Fostoria. It had 700 to 800 employees at any one time. So that was a major dent in our employment,” said city manager Allen Hendershot. “The developers on site have taken down an additional five buildings and it’s very visible the change in the site now,” he added.

The next step is asbestos removal, and last week the Moundsville city council agreed to hire a consulting firm to outline the needs of the asbestos removal portion of the Fostoria project. Asbestos removal is a vital step on the road to salvaging this building, as asbestos exposure has been conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer.

Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and while there are some patients who may temporarily benefit from chemotherapy and other palliative treatments, mesothelioma remains incurable. Mesothelioma generally lies dormant for as many as fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from related symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years.

“We’re hoping to have the preliminary remedial action plan ready by mid-January. We’ll have to submit that to the [Department of Environmental Protection] for approval,” Hendershot said. “But we’re hoping that we’ll be able to keep this process moving quickly now.”

[Via-Mesothelioma.com]

What are the symptoms of malignant mesothelioma?

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:22:54 +0000

Symptoms of mesothelioma may include shortness of breath, chest pain or back pain, or pain and swelling in the abdomen. Other symptoms may include: difficulty swallowing, cough, fever, sweating, fatigue and weight loss.

Pleural mesothelioma symptoms may include hoarseness, coughing up blood, swelling of the face and arms, muscle weakness, paralysis and sensory loss. Peritoneal mesothelioma sufferers may also experience abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, and hernia, fluid in the abdominal cavity or mass formation in the abdomen.

Chemotherapy – Treatment with drugs
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer using specific chemical agents or drugs that are only destroying malignant cells and tissues. Your doctor may recommend chemotherapy exclusive of a chemical agent or a combination thereof. The exclusive one chemotherapy agent, as its name implies uses only one. Combination chemotherapy using more than one. Although not a cure for mesothelioma, chemotherapy may help reduce and slow the progression of cancer.

Alimta (Pemetrexed)
Alimta The drug can be prescribed for the treatment of patients with mesothelioma. It indicates the use of Alimta with cisplatin (see below) for the treatment of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Normally, Alimta is administered through an IV tube. (IV infusion)

Onconase (Ranpirnase)
A new drug called Onconase could help slow the spread of mesothelioma tumors.

Navelbine (Vinorelbine)
Like Alimta, in combination with other chemicals on chemotherapy, Navelbine is used to treat mesothelioma tumors. Clinical trials are still in process and have already begun testing in some patients. Generally, Navelbine administered intravenously.

Carboplatin (Paraplatin)
Carboplatin is a chemotherapy drug that interferes with the growth of cancer cells, slowing their spread in the body. Carboplatin can cause serious side effects. Generally, Carboplatin is administered intravenously.

Cisplatin (Platinol)
Cisplatin is a clear fluid, usually given in combination with other drugs to treat certain types of cancer, including mesothelioma. In the treatment of mesothelioma, cisplatin is administered in combination with Alimta. As is the case with many of the chemotherapy, side effects may occur. Generally, Cisplatin is administered intravenously

Bionomics testing new mesothelioma drug

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:41:47 +0000

TREVOR CHAPPELL
December 9, 2009 – 4:34PM
Drug developer Bionomics Ltd plans to conduct a Phase II clinical trial of its leading compound, anti-cancer drug BNC105, on 60 mesothelioma patients in Australia next year.

Bionomics chief executive Dr Deborah Rathjen said on Wednesday that the trial would be one of few trials next year involving a drug targeting mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos and attacks the protective lining that covers most of the body’s internal organs.

Bionomics says BCN105 can extend the life of people suffering from mesothelioma and provide them with a better quality of life.

Dr Rathjen said about 600 people in Australia were diagnosed with mesothelioma each year and about 500 died from the disease.

The number of people suffering from the disease is expected to rise as more people than previously thought are believed to have been exposed to asbestos.

China and India are also expected to present large numbers of people suffering from mesothelioma because controls over asbestos in those countries are not as strict as controls in Australia and the United States.

BCN105 will also undergo a Phase II trial in the United States for the treatment of renal cancer.

Dr Rathjen said BCN105 was unlike other cancer drugs in that its two-pronged action blasted away the centre of tumours and also directly attacked cancer cells.

“A lot of chemotherapies will kill tumour cells but the cancers are able to evade and become resistant to chemotherapy,” she said.

“We don’t believe that cancers will become resistant to 105, using the same mechanisms that they become resistant to other chemotherapies.”

Dr Rathjen said Bionomics was looking towards getting BCN105 to market quickly by positioning it in “niche” applications such as the treatment of mesothelioma and renal cancer.

However, the drug had the potential to be used against other forms of cancer.

“Really, any solid tumour type that we tested this drug on in animals, it will shut down the blood vessels within those solid tumours and it will kill a cancer cell,” Dr Rathjen said.

Bionomics expects that the market for BNC105 could surpass $US1 billion ($A1.11 billion), should it be successfully developed.

“This drug has been very promising so far and the company is quickly moving to phase two trials,” Dr Rathjen said.

“We are expecting to report interim results of this trial in patients with mesothelioma in early 2011.”

Dr Rathjen said that once the Phase II trials were completed, the company hoped to license the compound for commercialisation.

The Phase II trials follow a successful Phase I trial of BCN105 in patients with advanced cancers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Western Hospital, Austin Health and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

[Via-http://news.smh.com.au]

No related posts.

Nov. is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:48:22 +0000

The American Cancer Society promotes local and nationwide activities, like the Great American Smoke out, to help educate people and to provide them with resources to help conquer their smoking habit. This year’s Great American Smoke out is scheduled for November 18.

Cancer is defined as a group of diseases that are characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. With lung cancer, because of the rapidly dividing abnormal cells the lung is no longer able to function properly and these cells eventually grow out of the lung and affect surrounding healthy tissue. When the cancer metastasizes to surrounding tissue, treatment options are more severely limited and quality of life is greatly affected. Occupational exposure to carcinogens like asbestos, tobacco smoke, radiation, viruses, and chemicals or a family history of lung cancer often lead to a diagnosis of lung cancer. Usually the cancer is found when the patient becomes symptomatic with a continuous, annoying cough which may produce blood-tinged sputum. Some patients experience weight loss, a lack of energy or shortness of breath. A chest X-ray is normally ordered to determine the cause for these complaints and a mass or abnormality may be found. This usually precipitates a diagnostic work-up to determine if the cause of the symptomology is benign or malignant.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center implemented a “Lung Mass” Clinic to perform work-up on patients with existing abnormal lung X-ray findings, and to diagnose and arrange treatment for these findings as quickly as possible. The clinic is comprised of an interdisciplinary team which includes services from Pulmonary, Cardiology, Cardio- Thoracic Surgery, Pathology, Medical and Radiological Oncology and referring Primary Care physicians.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States. Nearly twice as many women die of lung cancer than of breast cancer. Approximately 85% of all lung cases occur as a result of smoking or a history of smoking. A small number of cases are as a result of second-hand smoking exposure and a family history of lung cancer is also a consideration when diagnosing a lung abnormality. Treatment options are surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of these treatments. With the onset of new targeted treatments for lung cancer patients, the anticipation is that outcomes will improve as will quality of life.

Prevention and early detection are the key components to reducing the number of deaths from lung cancer. Eisenhower’s Health and Wellness Center offers tobacco cessation classes. The classes are experiencing record enrollments with requests to add additional classes. Please consider enrolling in a class or talk to your provider about what resources are available to help you quit smoking. For more informaton on smoking cessation call the Health and Wellness Center at (706) 787-6756.

[Via-fortgordonsignal.com]

Cost of Asbestos-Related Deaths in Great Britain Projected to Double, Study Says

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:58:49 +0000

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

In the United Kingdom, more 2,000 people die a year of mesothelioma, a cancer associated with asbestos exposure. The numbers have been trending steeply upward since the 1960s, according to Great Britain’s Health and Safety Executive.

Asbestos-related disease exacts a steep cost in terms of lives lost, pain and suffering by Mesothelioma patients and their families and asbestos-related insurance costs. With more awareness and publicity about mesothelioma a greater proportion of asbestos-disease sufferers are filing claims against their employer after their diagnosis of cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen.

A new actuarial study doubles the projected asbestos-related insurance claims that the UK insurance industry will pay to about £11 billion ($17.8 billion) through 2050. The previous estimate of claims cost made in 2004 was £4.7 billion ($7.6 billion), but that only covered the period to 2040. The increase in the insurance market estimate was driven primarily by a near doubling of the observed number of mesothelioma claims since 2004.

The study was compiled by the UK Asbestos Working Party, part of Actuarial Professional, an organization representing the actuary industry.

The number of insurance claims has been increasing faster than the rate of mesothelioma deaths in Britain, the report said. In the past, about one-third of asbestos-related deaths resulted in insurance claims, but now nearly two-thirds of asbestos victims make claims. Still, there is uncertainty about the number of people who will be diagnosed with mesothelioma in future decades, making the projections less reliable in the outlying years.

The study noted that mesothelioma claims accounted for more than 90 percent of the United Kingdom’s asbestos-related claims cost.

The wide use of asbestos and its danger to human health have had and will continue to have profound consequences.

[Via-aboutmesothelioma.net]

Mesothelioma-causing asbestos removed from Nat’l’ Guard armory

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:32:58 +0000

Jackson, Missouri – January 24, 2010

In Jackson, Missouri, a $500,000 armory renovation is wrapping up. Removal of asbestos was a key component of this project, with small amounts of the carcinogenic material being removed from beneath floor tiles in the training room.

The removal of this material reduces the risk of servicemen and women being exposed to airborne asbestos particles, which can be lethal if accidentally inhaled or ingested. Asbestos exposure can lead to mesothelioma later in life. This incurable cancer takes decades to develop, but can kill within months of being diagnosed. Most often, the cancer affects the lungs, although the heart and abdominal cavity can also be affected.

The Missouri National Guard’s Jackson armory project will wrap up by the end of the month. Improvements go beyond asbestos removal, and include an improved kitchen, new offices, and updates to both the heating and air conditioning. “In general terms, the impact during the time the project is going on is significant,” said Bruce Domazlicky, director of Southeast Missouri State University’s Center for Economic Research. “It’s especially good news now, since construction of new homes has fallen off. Projects like this one can be really beneficial.”

“We’re really going to be pleased with this when it’s done,” added Sgt. 1st Class Byron Wilkerson. “It really needed upgrading. It’s going to have a more modern look, which is good for the Guard Soldiers who work and drill here. But it also leaves a good impression with the public — whether it’s a potential recruit stopping by to check us out or just the general public.”

[Via-Mesothelioma.com]

London Appeals Court to Hear Landmark Mesothelioma Case

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:35:38 +0000

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Nether Langwith, UK—The death of a painting and decorating contractor in 2003 from the fatal asbestos cancer mesothelioma is at the center of a new court case which may have a lasting impact on mesothelioma sufferers’ compensation claims.

Leslie Edwin Screach worked for G&C Whittle Ltd., in Chiswick, Middlesex, from 1963 to 1968. While on the job as a painting and decorating contractor, he was exposed to asbestos, and breathed in the deadly, microscopic fibers released from that asbestos. Asbestos, a building and insulating material that was widely used in the mid-20th Century, was an especial risk for those who worked in construction or renovation projects. Although it is heatproof, flame-resistant, strong and durable, and therefore useful in a number of applications, it is also a known carcinogen and can lead to mesothelioma, a cancer which strikes the membranous lining of the lungs and thoracic cavity.

Mesothelioma has a poor prognosis and can take up to 50 years to fully develop, making both diagnosis and treatment difficult. On average, a patient diagnosed with mesothelioma dies within 18 months of learning that he or she has the disease.

Screach, who died in 2003 at age 73 from mesothelioma, was survived by a daughter, Ruth Durham. After her father’s death, Durham made an insurance claim of £150,000, but the insurance company denied it, claiming that they could not be held responsible for asbestos contamination that occurred 40 years prior. The case went to court, and a High Court judge ruled that liability begins at the time of exposure to asbestos, not at the time when the asbestos-related disease develops or is diagnosed.

The insurance companies were granted the opportunity to appeal, which they did. A London Court of Appeals will now hear the case, which involves not only Durham but a number of other families who have lost loved ones to this devastating cancer. The hearing, which will be before the nation’s top judges, is expected to last three weeks.

[Via-asbestos.net]