Historic Timeline of Asbestos Exposure in Denmark: Predicting the Next Decade
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Historic Timeline of Asbestos Exposure in Denmark: Predicting the Next Decade

ByHolly Zink

A historic timeline of asbestos exposure in Denmark has been created. This is the first known attempt to compile asbestos measurements in Danish workplaces. The Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment released a new report. It indicates that historical asbestos exposure measurements are valuable for current risk assessment. Asbestos Measurements and Concentrations This work shows the airborne fiber concentration ranges in specific work tasks. And it is divided into different industries over time. The historical asbestos exposure database contained 9,236 records. Of these, 5,869 data entries contained high-quality measurements of asbestos concentrations. The database includes data from 1971 to 1997. These historic reports can identify specific work scenarios with high asbestos exposures. There had not been any previous…

Asbestos Cement Roofing Poses an Ongoing Risk for Mesothelioma
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Asbestos Cement Roofing Poses an Ongoing Risk for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

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…

Pleural Mesothelioma Risk Among Workers May Be Higher in Winter
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Pleural Mesothelioma Risk Among Workers May Be Higher in Winter

ByAlex Strauss

A leading authority in the occupational health and safety space is warning workers to be aware that their pleural mesothelioma risk may be higher in the winter. The website Occupational Health & Safety says winter is a prime season for exposure to toxins like asbestos that can threaten respiratory health. Asbestos is the primary cause of malignant pleural mesothelioma worldwide. In a new online article, the site says the combination of dry air, colds and allergies, closed up work spaces, and poor ventilation can increase the risk for serious respiratory diseases.  Why Winter Can Be Dangerous for Workers Although anyone can get malignant mesothelioma, it is usually considered an occupational disease. People in certain kinds of jobs face a much…

Blood Test May Reveal History of Exposure to Asbestos
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Blood Test May Reveal History of Exposure to Asbestos

ByAlex Strauss

Small, non-coding bits of RNA in blood serum may offer a way to measure a person’s exposure to asbestos and predict their risk for mesothelioma.  Malignant mesothelioma is just one of several types of cancer linked to exposure to asbestos. But, unless a person knows they have been exposed, doctors might not even think to look for it, even when a patient develops early symptoms.  Researchers at Italy’s University of Ferrara have identified a microRNA in blood serum that can act as a biomarker for asbestos in the body. The discovery could lead to a blood test to identify high-risk people.  Exposure to Asbestos and Malignant Mesothelioma Before asbestos, mesothelioma was virtually unheard of. In fact, when the first asbestos-exposed…

Aussie Campaign Warns of Mesothelioma Risk for Homeowners
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Aussie Campaign Warns of Mesothelioma Risk for Homeowners

ByAlex Strauss

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. …

The Role of Asbestos in Mesothelioma Development in Nordic Countries
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The Role of Asbestos in Mesothelioma Development in Nordic Countries

ByAlex Strauss

A new study of pleural mesothelioma in Nordic countries highlights the critical role of asbestos in mesothelioma development.  Asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma around the world. There are many statistics on the incidence of mesothelioma in countries that use asbestos. But there is not much information on mesothelioma incidence, mortality, and survival prior to the popularity of asbestos. This makes it difficult to quantify the influence of asbestos in mesothelioma development.  Researchers from the Czech Republic, Germany, Finland and China compiled the new information using the NORDCAN cancer database. The database includes statistics on mesothelioma in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden dating back as far as the 1940s.  Their analysis, published in BMC Cancer, is a sobering reminder…

Mesothelioma Risk to War Survivors Highlighted by Journalist’s Case
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Mesothelioma Risk to War Survivors Highlighted by Journalist’s Case

ByAlex Strauss

A new Italian case study highlights the mesothelioma risk to war survivors, including journalists and bystanders.  In an article in BMJ Case Reports, researchers from Rome detail the case of a war journalist who contracted mesothelioma after more than ten years in the field.  The male journalist worked in war zones in the Far and Near East. He inhaled a range of toxic substances including asbestos in the dust and smoke from destroyed buildings.  The new case report is a sobering reminder that bombs and bullets are not the only deadly threats in war-torn regions. Asbestos dust poses an often-overlooked mesothelioma risk to war survivors. Asbestos and its Link to Mesothelioma Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral. It is inexpensive, plentiful,…

Asbestos on Ships Still Poses a Mesothelioma Risk to Sailors
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Asbestos on Ships Still Poses a Mesothelioma Risk to Sailors

ByAlex Strauss

A new report warns that sailors are still at risk for malignant mesothelioma because of asbestos on ships – in spite of OSHA regulations. A pair of public health researchers authored the report which appears in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.  Sailors face a number of health risks, including malignant mesothelioma. But the authors of the new report say more studies focus on people who work in shipyards.  They say there is not enough attention on the mesothelioma risk among people who not only work but also live with asbestos on ships.  The Use of Asbestos on Ships Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral. It must be mined from the ground and then processed into various products….

New Study: Pure Talc is Not a Cause of Pleural Mesothelioma
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New Study: Pure Talc is Not a Cause of Pleural Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

New research out of Italy is further evidence that asbestos – and not other dusty minerals like talc – is almost always the cause of pleural mesothelioma. The evidence comes from a 50-year study of more than 1,700 Northern Italian talc miners and millers.  Talc and asbestos often lie close together in the ground. Some people who have worked in talc mines or even used talc products have developed malignant mesothelioma. Many of these mines and products were contaminated with asbestos. This makes it difficult to know if it was the talc or the asbestos that caused the cancer.  But the workers in the new study worked in a mine that was uncontaminated with asbestos. Analysis of their causes of death…

Occupational Asbestos Exposure: The Need for Standardized Assessment
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Occupational Asbestos Exposure: The Need for Standardized Assessment

ByAlex Strauss

A new report shows how important it is to have a standardized way to assess occupational asbestos exposure in people with mesothelioma.  Malignant mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. Usually, that happens in the workplace. But sometimes, even the worker has no idea how or where he or she was exposed. This is especially true in industries not normally associated with occupational asbestos exposure.  The new Italian case study of a trucking worker who developed pleural mesothelioma illustrates the point.  Some Occupations Pose a Higher Mesothelioma Risk Than Others Before scientists discovered how dangerous it was, asbestos was a common additive to many products. Industries prized the fibrous mineral for its strength, heat and corrosion resistance, durability,…