Mesolthelioma Information You Won\'t Find Elsewhere

Mesothelioma, the deadly disease that has overtaken the headlines of the last decade, is contracted through exposure to asbestos fibers into the air. Unfortunately, under the regulations on asbestos use in recent years, and arguably still today, exposed millions of fibers in the air and as a result thousands contracted the disease.

You can safely say that almost everyone in the world has been exposed to asbestos in varying degrees. Due to the unique nature of the disease, even those who have suffered only minimal exposure are at risk of contracting the disease. Indeed, virtually everyone has some risk of mesothelioma.

But this kind of statement perhaps oversteps the limits of rationality. While it is true that individuals who have been exposed to small amounts of asbestos for relatively short periods of time have contracted the disease, this is a rarity rather than a regularity. In fact, the vast majority of mesothelioma cases involve individuals who were exposed to asbestos fibers into the air by intense and prolonged periods of time.

The industries most at risk of exposure long and thus of contraction are shipbuilding trades, mining and milling of asbestos, textile manufacturing, insulation work in construction, and brake repair personnel. There are, however, some other minor factors that may affect the likelihood of contracting the disease. These include exposure radiation. There have been cases in which people who were exposed to radiation after showing signs of mesothelioma and, finally recruited. However, studies empirical attempt to verify this correlation have not shown this strong statement.

Another more certain cause of the disease was making vaccine polio between 1955 and 1963. Some batches of this vaccine were contaminated with Simian Virus 40 which has been detected in a number of rare cancers such as mesothelioma.

Those involved in construction or who lived in homes in the Cappadocia region of Turkey are also particularly at risk. In this region, builders Erionite housing used, which is a type of zeolite silica stone. Exposure to the fibrous bands of this building material have led to an annual mortality rate approximately 1% of the population dying each year from mesothelioma in Turkey.

One of the main factors influencing the contraction mesothelioma is genetics. Some individuals who have been exposed to long periods and high quantities of asbestos have not contracted the disease. As a result, physicians have concluded that genetics play an important role in determining if patients contract the disease. Unfortunately, the gene variability which offers some resistance to disease also means that some are particularly vulnerable to exposure to asbestos.

About the Author:

Robert Linebaugh writes about health issues, and focuses on mesothelioma. Learn more at http://www.justmeso.com .

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Who is at Risk for Mesothelioma?

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