Asbestos:  The Fiber of Mesothelioma  Cancer 

Asbestos is a group of six minerals that can be found in some soil and rocks.  This group of minerals is naturally resistant to heat, fire and some chemicals.  Thus it had been rampantly used in many industries.  Mainly, the construction industry found it very useful in fortifying cement as well as plastics.  Asbestos has also been widely used for manufacture of roofing, flooring, soundproofing, and fireproofing products.  The makers of insulation and pipes also benefited greatly from asbestos utilization.  Since asbestos was a widely preferred component in the manufacturing and building industries, asbestos can be found in homes, ships, cars, appliances, and even crayons.

The wide ranging use of asbestos means everyone has had asbestos exposure.  Most people, however, are exposed to only small amounts of asbestos in their homes.  People who work in manufacturing and shipbuilding industries that utilize asbestos are exposed to greater amounts on a regular basis, and this regular exposure can be fatal.  This was overwhelmingly and tragically realized when more than 200 residents of Libby, Montana got fatally ill and died from exposure to asbestos that was generated through vermiculite mining activities in the area.

Asbestos Can Cause Cancer 

High levels of exposure to asbestos can cause cancer.  Asbestos readily disintegrates into individual dust-like fibers that can be easily inhaled.  Gross amounts of inhalation, which is what usually happens to people who regularly work with and use asbestos by nature of their occupation, can result to accumulation of asbestos fibers in the lungs, resulting in asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is not a type of cancer.  This chronic medical condition is typified by scarring and inflammation of the lung tissue.  When asbestos fibers are inhaled, the lungs get irritated.  The human body reacts by attacking the fibers, which leads to scarring of air sacs and airways.  Since asbestosis makes passage of oxygen difficult, it is characterized by coughing and shortness of breath.

Lung Cancer

Gross accumulation of asbestos fibers in the lung can result to lung cell cancer.  There are two main types of asbestos-induced lung cancer:  small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.  These two types can be both fatal and differ mainly in the size of the cancerous cells.

Most asbestos-caused lung cancer begins at the bronchial lining but it can also begin in the trachea, the air sacs, and the offshoots of the bronchi known as bronchioles.  It is difficult to ascertain its presence especially in the early stages since there are no apparent symptoms.  When they do become apparent, early symptoms include unremitting cough, hoarseness of voice, loss of weight, pain in the chest, and bloody phlegm or spit.  The very general nature of these symptoms makes diagnosing asbestos induced lung cancer difficult.

Mesothelioma

While lung cancer may be caused by other stimulants, mesothelioma is mainly caused by asbestos exposure.  Furthermore, this is a cancer of the membrane that lines the lung and is thus different from lung cancer which is the development of cancer in the cells that make up the lungs.

Mesothelioma refers to the development of cancerous mesothelial cells.  These cells make up the serous membrane which lines the inside of the lungs, the abdominal cavity, the chest cavity, and the cavity surrounding the heart.  Asbestos exposure causes the mutation of the mesothelial cells which results to their unrestricted reproduction.  More and more cancerous cells are produced and these form clumps or tumors.  When the tumor is benign, it is contained so it can be excised and cancer does not spread.  However, the tumor can be malignant.  In this case, the cancer can spread to the surrounding tissue or some cancerous mesothelial cells can break away from the tumor and result in the spread of mesothelioma to other organs.

Mesothelioma symptoms and diagnosis

This disease develops very slowly and so most people diagnosed with mesothelioma are in their late fifties or older.  Early stage symptoms include but are not limited to pain in the area where mesothelioma has developed, muscle weakness, sensory numbness, shortness of breath, fatigue, difficulty in swallowing, sore throat, excessive sweating, weight loss, persistent coughing, bloody sputum, swelling and inflammation of face and arms, and body masses.  Some of these symptoms may not present themselves and they can occur in any number of combinations.

Because these symptoms are common among other ailments, it takes months before mesothelioma is diagnosed.  It is advised that people who have had repeated exposure to asbestos consult a physician when any combination of these symptoms become apparent.

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