Mesothelioma, which is a long word that you may have head of on a commercial, but do you actually know what it means? This rare and dangerous cancer is badly lacking awareness. In honor of the Mesothelioma Awareness Day, September 26, read on and find out what important things that you do not know about this rare cancer, yet should. Then please share them with friends and your family. The most important key to saving lives starts with proper education.
First, mesothelioma is mainly caused by the exposure to asbestos. Even though there are many aspects to mesothelioma, the exposure to asbestos has been the leading cause of this rare cancer. Asbestos is naturally occurring mineral which is invisible to naked eyes. Once it is inhaled, the fibrous material may affect the protective lining of the lungs, cardiac cavity, and abdominal cavity.While there are so many household or industrial products that contain asbestos, such as hair dryers, crock-pots, and even cigarette filters, there appears no safe exposure to asbestos. Merely exposing yourself once can put yourself at risk for developing the disease later in your life. In case you were exposed today, you may not realize the disease until 2045, since the average latency periods is about thirty to forty years.
Second, asbestos can be present in various older houses, factories, schools, and commercial buildings. Before the 1970s, along with the myriad of public buildings still can potentially contain asbestos due to the materials which were used in the initial construction.
Next, you should also be aware of the fact that asbestos exposure is known as the leading cause of occupational cancer in the United States. Even subsequent to 30 years since the US government issued the stem warnings regarding the extensive use of asbestos, lots of workers that were once exposed are now diagnosed with the disease.
There seems to be fact pertinent to who are at the highest risk of developing the disease. Apparently, United States veterans are the greatest risk for ingesting asbestos. For many decades, asbestos was in use across all branches of military. A lot of veterans and shipyard workers were extensively exposed to even high levels of the toxin from a number of different applications. The United States Navy who served during the World War II and the Korean Conflict unluckily have the most incidents of asbestos-caused disease, which includes mesothelioma.
The fifth fact about mesothelioma asbestos is that the substance is not yet banned in the United States. Federal law needs the newly manufactured products have no more than one percent asbestos. Even though the use is well regulated, approximately 30 million pounds are still used every single year.You also need to be sure that mesothelioma can be caused by the secondary exposure to asbestos. Family members of those that were affected by direct contact with asbestos exposure may also be at risk for developing the asbestos-caused cancer.
The last fact is pertinent to the dangerous cancer is actually curable. While mesothelioma typically has dire prognosis, a lot of doctors and scientists come up with increasingly complex ways to diagnose and treat the cancer.
