Erionite-Induced Malignant Mesothelioma: Is it Different?
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Erionite-Induced Malignant Mesothelioma: Is it Different?

ByAlex Strauss

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is usually thought of as an asbestos-related disease. But a growing number of mesothelioma cases are being blamed on another mineral called erionite. A new report attempts to look at the clinical and prognostic differences between mesothelioma caused by erionite and mesothelioma caused by asbestos. Like asbestos, erionite occurs naturally in some soils and is made up of tiny, sharp fibers. Like asbestos, once these fibers enter the lungs through inhalation of dust, or the stomach through accidental ingestion, they can trigger a series of physiological changes in some people that eventually result in cancer. The Study In light of the rising number of erionite-induced mesothelioma cases in Europe and North America, researchers in Turkey, Ohio, and…

Soil Mineral Linked to Mesothelioma Deaths in Mexico
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Soil Mineral Linked to Mesothelioma Deaths in Mexico

ByAlex Strauss

Concerns continue to grow over the health threat posed by a mineral called erionite. There is new evidence that erionite dust may be responsible for the elevated mesothelioma and lung cancer death rates in a remote Mexican village. Malignant mesothelioma is usually caused by exposure to asbestos, a naturally-occurring fibrous mineral that was once heavily used in several industries. While the lungs can typically rid themselves of other types of irritants, asbestos dust fibers are small and sharp and tend to lodge in the tissue, causing cancer years later. In recent years, a less prevalent but similarly-shaped mineral called erionite has been suspected of doing the same thing. Mesothelioma rates hundreds of times higher than average have been found in…

Mesothelioma Causes Turkish Village To Be Evacuated
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Mesothelioma Causes Turkish Village To Be Evacuated

ByAlex Strauss

The Associated Press is reporting that an epidemic of mesothelioma cases is forcing the evacuation of a small Turkish village. Turkey has long been a favorite setting for researchers around the world studying mesothelioma.  A prevalence of a mineral in the soil called erionite appears to dramatically increase the risk that some residents will get the cancer most closely associated with asbestos exposure. According to the AP report, the town of Tuzkoy has a rate of mesothelioma that is 600 to 800 times higher than it is elsewhere in the world.  About 48 percent of deaths in that town, as well as in the nearby villages of Sarihidir and Karain, are from mesothelioma. Tuzkoy was declared a hazardous zone in 2004 and…