Worldwide Asbestos Exposure Means Mesothelioma Cases Higher Than Expected
A study published in the National Institiute of Health’s environmental health sciences journal, Environmental Health Perspectives has revealed what we should all have known all along, that the global rate of mesothelioma cases are higher than expected. Asbestos exposure is more prevalent than once believed.
Asbestos fibers cause the deadly cancer after being inhaled and lodging in the lining of the mesothelium, that protects the internal organs.
The very nature of the disease makes this no surprise. The disease has a long latency period (usually 25-50 years) during which there may be no mesothelioma symptoms and if there are any, the symptoms may be confused with those of other respiratory illnesses. Add to that the difficulty in diagnosing mesothelioma and we see that there will be many unsuspected cases.
However, they saw it fit to conduct a study to quantify they approximate amount of unreported cases and found that one case of mesothelioma goes unreported for every 4 or 5 cases that are actually reported.
Asbestos exposure is by far the leading cause of mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the mesothelium that lines the internal organs. The most common form is pleural mesothelioma that affects the lining of the lungs. The asbestos fibers lodge in the mesothelium and eventually cause cancerous tumors to develop.
The study itself looked at the correlation between the use of asbestos and mesothelioma deaths. The study was conducted in 89 countries that accounted for 82% of the world’s total population in the year 2000. Data of levels of asbestos use between 1920-1970 was compared with the mesothelioma deaths between 1994 to 2008.
This under-reporting is particularly true of the developing countries who use the cheap asbestos material, many of them ignoring the health hazards that include the risk of mesothelioma. They also do not have the best statistical and reporting capabilities as the leading asbestos using developed countries who happened to be the United States, Russia, UK, Germany and Japan.
Why not ban asbestos? Just like the case of cigarettes being dangerous to our health and still being marketed, the economic factor makes man willing to sacrifice the life of man for economic benefits. Mesothelioma is a disease that slowly kills those affected but countries are willing to take the risk in order to use the cheap asbestos materials and products mainly in industries. No wonder the mesothelioma cases are largely under reported. No developing country wants to create an alarm or bring attention to the dangers of asbestos exposure.
Asbestos fibers cause the deadly cancer after being inhaled and lodging in the lining of the mesothelium, that protects the internal organs.
The very nature of the disease makes this no surprise. The disease has a long latency period (usually 25-50 years) during which there may be no mesothelioma symptoms and if there are any, the symptoms may be confused with those of other respiratory illnesses. Add to that the difficulty in diagnosing mesothelioma and we see that there will be many unsuspected cases.
However, they saw it fit to conduct a study to quantify they approximate amount of unreported cases and found that one case of mesothelioma goes unreported for every 4 or 5 cases that are actually reported.
Asbestos exposure is by far the leading cause of mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the mesothelium that lines the internal organs. The most common form is pleural mesothelioma that affects the lining of the lungs. The asbestos fibers lodge in the mesothelium and eventually cause cancerous tumors to develop.
The study itself looked at the correlation between the use of asbestos and mesothelioma deaths. The study was conducted in 89 countries that accounted for 82% of the world’s total population in the year 2000. Data of levels of asbestos use between 1920-1970 was compared with the mesothelioma deaths between 1994 to 2008.
This under-reporting is particularly true of the developing countries who use the cheap asbestos material, many of them ignoring the health hazards that include the risk of mesothelioma. They also do not have the best statistical and reporting capabilities as the leading asbestos using developed countries who happened to be the United States, Russia, UK, Germany and Japan.
Why not ban asbestos? Just like the case of cigarettes being dangerous to our health and still being marketed, the economic factor makes man willing to sacrifice the life of man for economic benefits. Mesothelioma is a disease that slowly kills those affected but countries are willing to take the risk in order to use the cheap asbestos materials and products mainly in industries. No wonder the mesothelioma cases are largely under reported. No developing country wants to create an alarm or bring attention to the dangers of asbestos exposure.
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