Asbestos Exposure in Construction Workers Leads to Mesothelioma
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Asbestos Exposure in Construction Workers Leads to Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

Asbestos exposure in construction workers remains a particular concern. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer with a global incidence. Italy is among the countries with the highest values of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is associated with exposures to asbestos fibers and other asbestiform fibers. Asbestos exposure in construction workers remains a particular concern. A new study describes the characteristics of Italian malignant mesothelioma cases among construction workers. Scientists analyzed 31,572 cases with definite asbestos exposure in the period from 1993 to 2018. Connecting Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma in Construction Workers The relation between asbestos use and the historical trend of mesothelioma is clear. Italian scientists assessed asbestos exposure in 78.2% of the mesothelioma cases. This accounts for 24,864 of the patients studied….

Mesothelioma Among Construction Workers in Southern Italy
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Mesothelioma Among Construction Workers in Southern Italy

ByAlex Strauss

New research in Southern Italy highlights the global problem of mesothelioma among construction workers.  The research comes from occupational medicine experts at the University of Bari.  Scientists studied 178 cases of mesothelioma among construction workers in the Apulia region of Italy. The data shows that heavy asbestos exposure raised the odds of contracting mesothelioma by more than two-and-a-half times.  Asbestos and the Risk for Mesothelioma Asbestos is the primary cause of mesothelioma, in Italy and around the world. But for decades, almost no one knew that.  Tens of thousands of people worked with asbestos before scientists recognized the risk for mesothelioma among construction workers.  Asbestos was in dozens of construction products including cement, wall board, insulation, floor and ceiling tiles…

Energy Plant Workers Face Elevated Mesothelioma Risk
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Energy Plant Workers Face Elevated Mesothelioma Risk

ByAlex Strauss

Construction workers and tradespeople who have worked at any of the U.S. Department of Energy’s  nuclear sites would do well to be aware of the early warning signs of cancer, including malignant mesothelioma and asbestosis. A new report prepared by the Center for Construction Research and Training and Duke University finds that people who worked at the DOE’s nuclear sites are at higher risk of death from “all causes, all cancers” and should be actively monitored for signs of disease. The research was based on data from the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program, a program established in 1996 to provide occupational medicine screening exams to construction workers employed at DOE nuclear facilities. More than 18,800 workers were monitored from…

Construction Workers and Mesothelioma: Is Protection Really Possible?
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Construction Workers and Mesothelioma: Is Protection Really Possible?

ByAlex Strauss

The study, conducted by researchers in the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umea University, focused on male Swedish construction workers who had participated in health examinations between 1971 and 1993. Among the 367,568 workers included in the analysis, there were a total of 419 cases of mesothelioma occurring between 1972 and 2009. As expected, the incidence of mesothelioma was high among those who worked with some form of asbestos-containing insulation, including plumbers.  But, although these groups of workers had higher rates of mesothelioma than the general public, they accounted for only 21% of the mesothelioma cases in the study. There were even higher numbers of mesothelioma cases among concrete workers and wood workers. Other occupational group with…

Mesothelioma Blood Test May Save Lives through Earlier Diagnosis
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Mesothelioma Blood Test May Save Lives through Earlier Diagnosis

ByAlex Strauss

There is new evidence that a blood test for a biomarker called N-ERC/mesothelin could help identify mesothelioma earlier and improve outcomes in people at risk for the disease. Cancer researchers with Juntendo University in Tokyo released a study in 2008 suggesting that N-ERC/mesothelin, a soluble protein released by certain kinds of cancer cells, was “a very promising tumor marker for mesothelioma, especially epithelioid mesothelioma”. In their newest study, the same group attempted to test the value of the biomarker as a warning tool for closer monitoring in populations at high mesothelioma risk. The new study included construction workers who were part of a large-scale, 5-year screening of people known to be exposed to asbestos, the primary cause of mesothelioma. The…

Lawsuits Focus on Mesothelioma Construction Risks
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Lawsuits Focus on Mesothelioma Construction Risks

ByAlex Strauss

Two recent news stories highlight the fact that construction workers are often at higher risk for mesothelioma. The risk comes from exposure to asbestos, a toxic mineral once widely used as an insulator and building product additive. After asbestos dust was linked to malignant mesothelioma in the 1960s, workplaces began to implement protective measures. However, the long delay from time of asbestos exposure to development of mesothelioma means the measures came too late for some workers. A group of sick electricians and carpenters in New York is a case in point.   More than a hundred independent contractors are alleging that long-term asbestos exposure at the county-owned Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, caused them to develop mesothelioma and other asbestos illnesses….

Wall Covering May Prevent Mesothelioma
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Wall Covering May Prevent Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A British company has developed a way to help protect construction workers and building occupants from the threat of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos.  Birmingham, England-based Datatecnics has released the world’s first asbestos-sensing film.  When walls containing asbestos are papered with the polymer, an alarm will sound if the film is breached. In an interview with Electronics Weekly, Datatecnics CEO Mohammed Zulfiquar explains, “Asbestos is in a lot of public buildings. The Government estimates that 70 percent of UK schools contain it and the guidance from the Health and Safety Executive is to manage most of it, not remove it.” Asbestos has long been linked to mesothelioma, a malignancy affecting the membranous tissue encasing internal organs.  Asbestos was once commonly…

Mesothelioma High Risk Jobs Confirmed by Study
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Mesothelioma High Risk Jobs Confirmed by Study

ByAlex Strauss

Shipbuilders, construction workers, and people who help manufacture products made of asbestos have the highest risk of developing pleural mesothelioma, but other types of workers are not completely safe either. Asbestos was widely used in industries around the world for more than 60 years because of its low-cost, fire and chemical resistance, and strength. But in a recent four-year study of 462 French workers (80.3% men), researchers confirmed that industries that put employees in a position to potentially inhale the caustic mineral fibers are most likely to trigger the so-called ‘asbestos cancer’, mesothelioma.  According to recent studies, mesothelioma is the result of chronic irritation and inflammation in the soft tissue (pleura) that encases the lungs.  Although it is relatively rare, mesothelioma…

DOE Workers Face Higher Risks for Mesothelioma and Other Cancers
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DOE Workers Face Higher Risks for Mesothelioma and Other Cancers

ByAlex Strauss

Construction workers at four Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear sites have been exposed to asbestos and other dangerous materials that are putting them at significantly higher risk for mesothelioma, lung disease, and other cancers according to a new report published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Working in construction and other trade jobs at nuclear sites can be risky business. Workers are regularly exposed to a number of cancer-causing substances, including asbestos. Since the mid 1990s, the government has been conducting surveillance programs to determine the health risks faced by workers at four DOE sites: Hanford Nuclear Reservation (Richland, Washington), Oak Ridge Reservation (Oak Ridge, Tennessee), Savannah River Site (Aiken, South Carolina), and the Amchitka site (Alaska). In past studies,…