Mesothelioma Risk in Canadian Firefighters and Police
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Mesothelioma Risk in Canadian Firefighters and Police

ByHolly Zink

Firefighters and police usually work in high-stress, complex environments. And, these environments often have known and suspected hazardous and toxic exposures. A leading cause of mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. Asbestos is toxic and cancer-causing for human beings. Asbestos causes mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Canadian researchers published a new study in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. This new report characterizes cancer incidence among these occupations. Firefighters vs. Police The Canadian team used an Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) to identify workers. Then they compared compensation claims to the Ontario Cancer Registry. They found 36,267 people employed as firefighters or police in Ontario. In the final analysis, there were a total of 13,642 firefighters and 22,595 police. When compared with other workers,…

Asbestos Exposure During Childhood Can Lead to Mesothelioma
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Asbestos Exposure During Childhood Can Lead to Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

Scientists are looking at mesothelioma risk in women exposed to asbestos. Asbestos exposure in women varies. But, environmental and domestic asbestos exposures are common. Oncologists are now asking about childhood environmental and domestic asbestos exposures. A study from the International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health tells more. Forms of Asbestos Exposure: Environmental and Domestic All forms of asbestos are capable of causing cancer in humans. Most asbestos research focuses on malignant mesothelioma. This is aggressive cancer associated with exposure to asbestos. Occupational asbestos exposure is the most common exposure. Workers are exposed to asbestos on the job site or through work-related tasks. Women more often have domestic asbestos exposure. This comes from living with and handling the clothing…

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…

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,…