mesothelioma risk

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    Study Demonstrates Mesothelioma Risk from Shipbuilding

    ByAlex Strauss

    There’s more evidence of the dangers of shipbuilding in the early 20th century.  A new study out of Italy found a “high incidence of mesothelioma” among men who worked as shipbuilders in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s in Monfalcone. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of internal membranes caused by exposure to asbestos. In order to track the incidence of the disease among Italian shipbuilders, a pair of researchers from Italy’s Center for the Study of Environmental Cancer examined the hiring records of the Monfalcone shipyard in 1942 and compared them with archived health records in the area’s hospitals decades later. A total of 2,776 people were hired to work in the Monfalcone shipyards in 1942. According to the Pathological Anatomy Unit archives…

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    Could Iron Removal Stave Off Mesothelioma?

    ByAlex Strauss

    Scientists have long known that exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, but the jury is still out as to exactly why this happens. It is known that the shape of asbestos fibers makes them more likely to lodge deep in tissue, causing chronic irritation. But some have speculated that the high iron content of asbestos – particularly chrysotile asbestos – may also play a key role in triggering mesothelioma. A new study published in the Journal of Pathology appears to support the iron overload/mesothelioma connection.  Japanese scientists studied the effects of three commercially used types of asbestos – chrysotile, crocidolite and amosite – in laboratory rats. Of the three asbestos types, chrysotile brought on mesothelioma the fastest and iron overload…

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    Moles Could Point to Mesothelioma Risk

    ByAlex Strauss

    A certain kind of skin lesion may offer a way to identify patients at risk for mesothelioma. Experts at the University of Hawaii, one of the world’s top mesothelioma research centers, say they have identified a type of mole present in people who carry a genetic mutation that may raise their mesothelioma risk. Mesothelioma is a rare but serious cancer of the mesothelial membranes that surround and protect internal organs. Its primary cause is exposure to asbestos. But not all exposed individuals develop mesothelioma. Research conducted by the University of Hawaii’s Dr. Michele Carbone and others found that people with a mutation on the BAP1 gene, a tumor-suppressor known to predispose people to several other types of cancer, also increases their…

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    Carbon Nanotubes: The Next Mesothelioma Risk?

    ByAlex Strauss

    There’s more evidence that carbon nanotubes, cylindrical carbon molecules used in nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields, may cause mesothelioma in the same way that asbestos does. Because of their special mechanical and electrical properties and their ability to conduct heat, nanotubes are being added to an increasing number of structural materials, including the carbon fiber used to make baseball bats, golf clubs and car parts. As a result, more people who work in manufacturing and scientific fields are likely to be exposed to nanotubes. But a new published study suggests that, if these tiny fibers accidentally enter the lungs through inhalation, they can act very much like crocidolite asbestos fibers and eventually trigger mesothelioma. Crocidolite is a common type of asbestos…

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    Mesothelioma Now Covered by Zadroga Act

    ByAlex Strauss

    First responders and others who have contracted malignant mesothelioma because of their exposure to asbestos during the 9/11 attacks in New York are now eligible for government compensation under the Zadroga act. The announcement was made by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health on the eve of the 11th anniversary of the attacks. The Zadroga Act, approved by Congress in 2012, was designed to help those were made sick because of the World Trade Center attack. Initially, the $2.8 billion fund was not available to people who contracted any type of cancer. Scientists had said there was little evidence to suggest that the toxic dust cloud created by the collapse and burning of the two buildings could cause cancer. But…

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    Mesothelioma Risk High if Raised Near Asbestos

    ByAlex Strauss

    There’s more evidence that exposure to asbestos early in life increases the risk of mesothelioma and a host of other cancers. A team of Australian researchers have released the results of a study of more than 2,400 adults who lived in an asbestos mining town during their childhoods (under the age of 15). The study participants all lived in a town where crocidolite, also known as blue asbestos, was present. Crocidolite is the most common type of asbestos found in Australia. Among the 2,460 people evaluated, there were 217 (93 female) incident cancers and 218 (70 female) deaths. Compared to other Australians women, the women who had lived around asbestos as children were more likely to have mesothelioma, ovarian, and brain cancers….

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    Mesothelioma Rates Higher Near Exposed Asbestos

    ByAlex Strauss

    Disturbing naturally occurring asbestos, whether for farming or building, can significantly raise the risk of mesothelioma and several other cancers. That is the conclusion of a Chinese study comparing the distribution of mortality rates of six kinds of cancer with land use patterns in the Dayao area of China. The study focused on mesothelioma, lung cancer, intestinal cancer, nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer, liver cancer and stomach cancer.  Rates were calculated using geographic information systems data. The study found that the mortality rates from mesothelioma and three of the other cancer types were “significantly associated” with outcropped asbestos, asbestos in the soil that was exposed by digging. Asbestos is a silicate mineral that occurs naturally in many parts of the world and…

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    Fighting Mesothelioma: Canada Lose a Battle, U.S. Gears for Another

    ByAlex Strauss

    Canadian mesothelioma advocates have lost a major battle in their fight against asbestos, while their American counterparts gear up for another battle of their own in Washington. Despite months of protests by health organizations, mesothelioma activists, including the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Medical Association, the Quebec government has agreed to extend a loan that will reopen Canada’s largest asbestos mine. The $58 million dollar loan has been on the table since the Jeffrey Mine in the town of Asbestos closed last year due to financial problems, laying off some 500 workers. The loan had been contingent on raising seed money from investors. The mine’s president estimates that the loan will keep the mine open for at least another 20 years. While…

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    Maryland Asbestos Law: Beginning of a Trend?

    ByAlex Strauss

    The state of Maryland is cracking down on asbestos removal companies that put their workers and the public at risk for mesothelioma by cutting corners. State lawmakers have raised the fine from $5,000 to $25,000 for companies that do not follow government guidelines for safe handling of asbestos. Asbestos is a toxic mineral that has been used in decades in insulation and thousands of other products.  By the time its link to mesothelioma was discovered, it was already too late for many workers and consumers who had inadvertently inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers and triggered the physiological changes that would lead to mesothelioma or other asbestos related diseases. Even second-hand exposure, such as coming into contact with asbestos-covered clothing, can raise…

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    Mesothelioma Added to 9/11 Compensation Fund

    ByAlex Strauss

    New Yorkers and first responders at risk of mesothelioma and other cancers because of 9/11 toxic exposures are now in line for compensation if they need it. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) this week added mesothelioma and 49 other cancers to the list of conditions covered under a $4.3 billion dollar compensation fund created by the 2010 Zadroga Act. The fund was set up to cover medical bills and other expenses for people who contracted serious health conditions after the 9/11 attacks.  Until this week, cancer, including mesothelioma, was not on the list of covered conditions. Hundreds of rescue workers including police, firefighters and EMS workers, as well as people in and around the World Trade Center towers…