Malignant Mesothelioma
September 23rd, 2008 | by Ady Calow |
The cancer that affects the protective film of different organs in the human body is known as malignant mesothelioma or asbestos cancer. It normally attacks the membranes covering the heart, lungs and abdomen. This ailment affects the people who work or are closely exposed to asbestos or asbestos products. Since there is no known cure for this condition, the best prevention would be to make people aware of the risk to their health.
Asbestos mesothelioma is almost always fatal, not because it is more dangerous than any other forms of cancer, but because it takes some 20-25 years to develop to its full blown condition without any major symptoms. The asbestos cancer is discovered only when it manifests acute symptoms, at which time it is usually too late to do anything other than make the patient comfortable. By this time, the patient is likely to be advancing in age as well; most people diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer are aged 60-70 and their bodies may be worn out in more ways than one.
A very important thing to note is that malignant mesothelioma affects not only those who come in direct contact to material containing asbestos, but also those who come into contact with the people who work with it. This is why and how many of the family members of those who work with asbestos products are also found suffering from this deadly disease. It so happens that microscopic particles of asbestos get attached to the clothing, hair, skin and nails of the people who are working with this mineral and are carried home on a regular basis, thus infecting the family members or other people with whom the worker has close contact.
In conclusion, since the malignant mesothelioma develops silently and is almost always fatal by the time it is detected, the best recourse would be to make people who work with anything containing asbestos aware of the possibility of contacting this dreaded disease. There should be periodic check ups for the workers, as well as their family members, to make sure that they are not suffering from asbestos cancer. This would be the only way to ensure their safety since the symptoms of this disease are almost non-existent until it is too late.