|

Unveiling the Mesothelioma Risk Posed by Exposure to Asbestos

ByHolly Zink
Unveiling the Mesothelioma Risk Posed by Asbestos

Asbestos is a toxic mineral found naturally throughout the world. Exposure to asbestos can cause people to develop mesothelioma, which is a rare and aggressive cancer.

A new study looked how the risk for developing mesothelioma and lung cancer for people who live around asbestos in Tehran, Iran.

Asbestos: A Fireproof, Deadly Fiber

Even though asbestos is toxic to humans, people have used it in many industries because of its special qualities. It is almost impossible to set it on fire, it is nearly impossible to corrode, and it is composed of fibers so that it can be woven into other materials. It is also cheap because it can be taken out of the ground and does not have to be created in a factory.

Breathing in asbestos can lead to serious health problems like mesothelioma. Some countries, including Iran, have banned its use because of these risks. Even though it is not used much now, old buildings with asbestos can still make the air dirty with tiny harmful fibers.

Researchers looked at air quality data from different regions in Tehran from 2011-2020. They also ran some calculations to find out the risk of people in Tehran developing mesothelioma or lung cancer during this time.

They found that between 2011 and 2012, the concentration of asbestos in the air was higher than the level recommended by the World Health Organization. The mortality risk for mesothelioma and lung cancer was also high.

After Iran banned the use of asbestos, the concentration of this toxic mineral in the air decreased, but it was still higher than the recommended standard. This is likely because of materials that are imported into the country that contain asbestos, like car parts and construction materials. This means that the risk of developing mesothelioma or lung cancer remain high, as well.

Source

Nasirzadeh N, Soltanpour Z, Mohammadian Y, Pourhasan B. Lung Cancer and Pleural Mesothelioma Risk Assessment for the General Population Exposed to Asbestos in Different Regions of Tehran, Iran. J Res Health Sci. 2022;22(4):e00563. doi:10.34172/jrhs.2022.98. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10422159/

Similar Posts

  • |

    Mesothelioma Still Rising Despite Ban in Ireland

    ByAlex Strauss

    A study in Ireland confirms that it can take many years for a ban on asbestos to have a measurable impact on a country’s rates of malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is the most serious of a list of diseases – including lung cancer, pleural plaques, asbestosis, and others – linked with exposure to asbestos dust. Affecting the linings around the lungs and other organs, mesothelioma is often resistant to most cancer treatments and may be fatal within a year of diagnosis. According to the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, Ireland is one of 55 countries that have enacted some type of asbestos ban. However, although Ireland banned asbestos in 2000, a new study published in Cancer Epidemiology shows that incidence of the…

  • |

    Website Aims to Protect Homeowners from Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Australia’s Cancer Council is trying to educate home renovators about their risk for mesothelioma with a new e-learning course. Australia has one of the highest per capita rates of mesothelioma in the world, largely because of several asbestos mining operations that were once located there. Although asbestos has been banned from building products in Australia since 1989, asbestos-linked diseases like mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis continue to pose a serious health concern. While mesothelioma has traditionally occurred among people exposed to asbestos on the job, Australia is now bracing for another “wave” of mesothelioma victims among homeowners who encounter asbestos while doing their own renovation projects. Cancer Council Australia has launched “kNOw asbestos in your home” in an effort to…

  • |

    Teacher’s Diagnosis Highlights Mesothelioma Risk in Schools

    ByAlex Strauss

    A recent mesothelioma diagnosis in the UK once again dramatically highlights the fact that even a small amount of asbestos can be deadly. Sixty-three-year-old school teacher Marion Potts of Brockenhurst died of mesothelioma in a Southampton hospital in June. According to an article in The Mirror, the Coroner recorded a verdict of “death from an industrial disease” after hearing evidence last week that Potts actually saw asbestos dust being released when she pinned work on the classroom walls. Most recently, Potts was head of the English department at Romsey School in Hampshire until her retirement two years ago. Mesothelioma is a growing threat among school teachers, administrators, maintenance workers, and even students in British schools. A government report released last…

  • | | |

    Mesothelioma Nurses Ready for New Cases in Australia

    ByAlex Strauss

    Australia is bracing for an expected new wave of mesothelioma cases in the next decade and the Lung Foundation of Australia is taking action now to get ready. The Foundation has paid for ten nurses from around the country to receive specialized training in helping patients and families cope with mesothelioma. The nurses, who have recently completed the training, are now equipped to lead treatment planning for these complex cancer patients and to help other nurses do the same. Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that occurs in the lining around the lungs. It is caused by exposure to asbestos dust, a toxin that was once alarmingly prevalent in Australia where it was mined and heavily used in construction. Because…

  • | |

    Spanish Mesothelioma Deaths Likely to Continue for Decades

    ByAlex Strauss

    New research in Spain suggests that mesothelioma deaths will continue in the country until the “last surviving member” of the group of people exposed to occupational asbestos succumbs to the disease. Like many countries, Spain used asbestos heavily in the first half of the 20th century, especially in construction, where the mineral was prized for its durability, low cost, and resistance to fire and corrosion.  Asbestos was banned in Spain in 2002. Observing that more than 2.5 million metric tons of asbestos were imported into Spain from 1906 to 2002, researchers say deaths from mesothelioma have risen steadily. Between 1976 and 1980, a total of 491 Spanish people died of mesothelioma. By the 5-year period from 2006 to 2010, that…

  • | |

    Micro-RNAs May Offer New Way to Fight Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    Scientists at one of the world’s top mesothelioma research centers, the Asbestos Diseases Research institute in Sydney, Australia, say that restoring the expression of certain micro RNAs in the cells of mesothelioma patients may offer a new way to fight the disease. A microRNA is a small RNA molecule which is involved in the regulation of gene expression. According to a new report in the Annals of Oncology, the Australian scientists found reduced expression of the micro RNA-15 family (miR-15/16) in the cells of mice with mesothelioma. “When malignant pleural mesothelioma cell lines were compared with the normal mesothelial cell line MeT-5A, the downregulation of miR-15/16 was 2- to 10-fold,” they report. This finding is consistent with previous cancer research…