Global Call for Asbestos Hazardous Waste Management Strategies
A new report in the Journal of Environmental Management warns that asbestos-bans should be supported by coordinated asbestos hazardous waste management strategies. Asbestos is classified as a Class I Carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Sixty countries have bans on asbestos. The US, China, India, and Russia are not among them. Nonetheless, asbestos is still part of the daily life of the population as asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are still present in many buildings constructed and renovated before the 1990s. Asbestos has been used by many automobile, construction, manufacturing, power, and chemical industries for many years. Asbestos was a popular insulator because it resists heat and flame. The identification and coordinated management of asbestos hazardous waste is … Continue reading Global Call for Asbestos Hazardous Waste Management Strategies
Research Advancements Audit by Asbestos Diseases Research Institute
Research advancements provide a brighter future for malignant pleural mesothelioma patients. Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the lung lining. Mesothelioma is associated with asbestos exposure. Australian researchers from the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute and the University of Sydney have reviewed the basic research advancements. Their new publication covers mesothelioma biomarkers and treatment strategies. There is a long latency period from asbestos exposure to cancer development. A lack of genetic biomarkers makes early diagnosis difficult. The prognosis of pleural mesothelioma is poor. There is an average survival of eight to fourteen months following diagnosis. Diagnostic Biomarkers Biomarkers are limited in the clinic to diagnose pleural mesothelioma. A biomarker is a biological molecule found in blood or other body fluids … Continue reading Research Advancements Audit by Asbestos Diseases Research Institute
Asbestos Cement Roofing Poses an Ongoing Risk for Mesothelioma
Australian researchers have a warning for people in homes with asbestos cement roofing: Replace your roof or risk mesothelioma in the future. Michael Kottek and Man Lee Yuen are with the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute in Sydney. They recently published a new report on the risk of mesothelioma from roof tiles made of asbestos. Like all asbestos-containing products, asbestos cement roofing breaks down over time. Disintegrating or “friable” asbestos is the number one cause of deadly malignant mesothelioma worldwide. Writing in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, Kottek and Yuen say buildings with roofs made from asbestos pose an ongoing threat to occupants, even if the tiles are not disturbed. Asbestos-Containing Products and Asbestos Cancer There was a time when … Continue reading Asbestos Cement Roofing Poses an Ongoing Risk for Mesothelioma
Aussie Campaign Warns of Mesothelioma Risk for Homeowners
An ad campaign launched by Australia’s top asbestos awareness organization has issued a warning about the mesothelioma risk for homeowners doing renovations. Asbestos is the number one cause of mesothelioma around the world. Australia has a long history with both asbestos and mesothelioma. The country banned asbestos in 2003 but there is still plenty of it around. Thousands of homes and buildings built before 1990 contain asbestos. There is a mesothelioma risk for homeowners who come in contact with this asbestos. Mesothelioma is an aggressive and deadly cancer that can kill within months of diagnosis. If people remodel or attempt renovations without having their home checked for asbestos first, the campaign says they are playing “renovation roulette” with their lives. … Continue reading Aussie Campaign Warns of Mesothelioma Risk for Homeowners
History of Asbestos Mining Blamed for Mesothelioma Epidemic
Residents of Western Australia are still paying the price for the history of asbestos mining in the region. A new report from the University of Western Australia focuses on people in the region of the now-closed Wittenoom asbestos mine. The report blames the mine and its products for an “ongoing epidemic of mortality from lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma”. Australia’s Sad History of Asbestos Mining Asbestos is a mineral once prized for its strength and abundance. It was used around the world in thousands of products, including many construction materials. Australia has a long history of asbestos mining and exportation. The country was once one of the world’s top producers of asbestos. The Australian Blue Asbestos Company in Wittenoom was … Continue reading History of Asbestos Mining Blamed for Mesothelioma Epidemic
Mesothelioma Risk From Home Renovation in The Spotlight
The case of an Australian man is highlighting the mesothelioma risk from home renovation when asbestos is present. Forty-two year old Matthew Werfel recently won a lawsuit against Amaca, the asbestos producer previously known as James Hardie. The company manufactured the asbestos-containing cement sheets that led to Werfel’s pleural mesothelioma. The record $3 million payout is an expensive warning to other DIY homeowners about the potential mesothelioma risk from home renovation. Asbestos in Construction Products Asbestos is a mineral that has to be mined from the ground. As early as the 1930’s, companies like James Hardie recognized its potential value as a construction material. Asbestos is strong, plentiful and resistant to heat and corrosion. It was used for decades to … Continue reading Mesothelioma Risk From Home Renovation in The Spotlight
Mesothelioma Persists in Australia Despite Asbestos Ban
Australia’s legacy of asbestos mining and use continues to haunt it almost fifteen years after the country banned all forms of asbestos almost fifteen years ago. A new report published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health suggests that, although asbestos consumption peaked in Australia in the 1970s, malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases continue to be a significant public health issue. Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that was prized as a building product additive because of its high tensile strength and resistance to heat and corrosion. Australia is rich in the mineral and once operated several of the world’s largest mines. In the 1960s and 1970s, the country also had the highest per capita use of … Continue reading Mesothelioma Persists in Australia Despite Asbestos Ban
Asbestos-Contaminated Insulation May Raise Mesothelioma Risk for Homeowners
People who live in houses with loose-fill asbestos insulation may be up to five times more likely to eventually develop deadly malignant mesothelioma. That is the finding of a 30-year Australian study of more than a million people in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), where asbestos-containing insulation had been used in some houses. The study found that, not only do residents of asbestos-insulated homes have a higher mesothelioma risk, but their chances of getting several others types of cancer were also elevated. Mesothelioma Risk Among People Who Live with Asbestos Insulation Researchers with the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at Australian National University and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare at the University of Canberra used the … Continue reading Asbestos-Contaminated Insulation May Raise Mesothelioma Risk for Homeowners
Asbestos Insulation May Account for Mesothelioma Surge in Australia’s Capital
The rates of malignant mesothelioma appear to be rising faster in the region around Australia’s capital city than they are in the rest of country and researchers believe that loose-fill asbestos insulation may be to blame. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) comprises the capital, Canberra, and the surrounding area. The findings on mesothelioma rates in the region are part of a newly released study conducted by scientists at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University in Canberra. Comparing Regional Mesothelioma Rates in Australia Malignant mesothelioma is a rare but intractable cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos. Although Australia banned asbestos in the 1980s, the country still has the world’s highest per capita rate … Continue reading Asbestos Insulation May Account for Mesothelioma Surge in Australia’s Capital
Mesothelioma Subtype Unrelated to Source or Degree of Asbestos Exposure
The source or degree of a mesothelioma patient’s asbestos exposure does not appear to have a direct impact on what mesothelioma subtype they develop. That is according to the results of a newly-published study out of Australia, a country with one of the world’s highest rates of asbestos cancer. To make their determination, mesothelioma researchers reviewed malignant mesothelioma cases from the Western Australian Mesothelioma Registry between 1962 and 2012, comparing each patient’s subtype with their exposure history. Understanding Mesothelioma Subtypes Mesothelioma tumor subtypes are determined by subtle differences at the cellular level. Subtype is determined by examining mesothelioma cells under the microscope. Understanding mesothelioma subtypes is an important part of developing effective mesothelioma treatments since the different types respond differently to … Continue reading Mesothelioma Subtype Unrelated to Source or Degree of Asbestos Exposure
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