The Mesothelioma Threat in Nevada’s Soil
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The Mesothelioma Threat in Nevada’s Soil

ByAlex Strauss

Environmental asbestos may be to blame for higher-than-expected numbers of mesothelioma cases among younger people and women in Nevada. That conclusion comes from a newly-published report from top cancer researchers. Malignant mesothelioma is caused almost exclusively by the mineral asbestos and affects the membrane that surrounds the lungs, heart, or abdominal organs. Although it is extremely rare, it is also highly lethal.  Since the regulation of asbestos in industries like construction and manufacturing in the 1970s, most mesothelioma cases now occur in older men who were exposed on the job decades ago. But the story is different in Nevada. Whereas occupational asbestos exposure typically causes mesothelioma at a rate four to eight times greater in men than in women, mortality…

Is Mesothelioma Hereditary?
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Is Mesothelioma Hereditary?

ByAlex Strauss

Could susceptibility to mesothelioma pass from parent to child through the genes? That is a question Greek scientists are trying to answer as they try to determine why some families seem to be ‘prone’ to mesothelioma. Although many other cancers are known to have a hereditary component, mesothelioma is unique in that it is known to be caused by exposure to the mineral asbestos. Inhaling or ingesting asbestos fibers can trigger a series of physiological changes that leads to mesothelioma years later. In most cases where multiple members of a family are diagnosed with mesothelioma, they are all found to have been exposed to asbestos. Children are sometimes exposed to the asbestos on a parent’s work clothes. Or several members…

Employer ‘Duty-Bound’ to Protect Families from Mesothelioma
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Employer ‘Duty-Bound’ to Protect Families from Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

People who contract mesothelioma or other asbestos diseases because of second hand exposure to asbestos through a company’s employee, have a right to hold the company accountable. An appellate court in Illinois made the decision after hearing the case of a woman who got mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, after years of washing her husband’s contaminated work clothes. Annette Simpkins brought suit against the CSX Corporation, claiming that she got sick because of repeatedly handling the toxic fibers while doing laundry. Her husband, Robert Simpkins, was a steelworker, welder, railroad fireman and laborer for CSX’s predecessor, B & O Railroad.  When Annette Simpkins died in April 2007, her daughter Cynthia took over as plaintiff. The mineral asbestos, used for…